The Return of Eraqus
by Theysharethesamesky
Summary: The process of fixing a heart is easier said than done. Sora must sleep as Naminé fixes his heart, but can it survive the pain of being restored? In his year long dream inside of his pod, he unconsciously seeks out the guidance of the man a small part of him once called Master, the only one he knows can teach him strength of heart through the hardest of trials: Eraqus.
1. Trick of the Light

_Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts characters (c) Square Enix/Disney_

* * *

 **Chapter One: Trick of the Light**

The last person Sora saw was the person he would not remember upon waking up. The very idea saddened him gravely. Still, he smiled in hopes that she'd return the friendly gesture, for he wanted his last memory of her to be one of her smiling.

She did.

It was a timid, slight curve, but a smile nonetheless. Naminé was smiling at him.

Sora's face glowed with radiance and his heart fluttered. At least he was able to make her smile one last time before forgetting her. Even so, he promised himself that that smile would not be the last. He promised to meet her again and be friends for real. He had to find her, somehow, and he had to thank her. He would forget making such a promise, this much he knew, but his heart would find a way to remember. It had to, and he knew it would.

The pod in which he would sleep in closed gradually. His eyes closed with it.

He awoke on the warm sand of a nostalgic island.

"Is this..." He scanned the area excitedly before jumping up. "I'm back at the islands!" His next instinct was to call for his friends. "Riku! Kairi!"

He took a pause.

Receiving no answer from either of the two seemingly absent characters, he went to the shore and stared ahead at the endless ocean.

"How did I get here?" he wondered softly to himself. "Huh...wait, what was the last thing I was doing? I was with Donald and Goofy...uh...Donald stole the sandwich Goofy made for me and I got really mad...hm..." He gasped out loud and jumped in place upon coming to a realization. "I have to find Riku and The King! But where did Donald and Goofy go? Why am I here?" He searched frantically for anyone or anything that would help him seek answers.

He turned his back to the ocean and raced ahead, calling out to Donald and Goofy, but no one called back in return.

He concluded that he was alone and sank down to the ground to sulk.

His sulking lasted for a fraction of a second, not due to his naturally optimistic outlook, but due to the fact that everything was changing.

The transformation was as sudden as a star in the sky going out.

Where there was once a paopu fruit tree there was now a lily pond. The bright, afternoon sky was now glimmering with countless stars. The sand was now dew-wet grass, and the air smelled of lavender. Sora, amazed, leaped up into the air and stared, wide eyed, at the beautiful, yet unfamiliar world.

"What just happened?" he asked.

As if to answer his question, the urgent sound of bells rang in the air. Sora, sensing such urgency, turned in their direction. There, he saw a large castle painted far in the distance.

Without thinking twice, he ran to it.

His heart felt weak, all of a sudden, but he pressed on for that very reason.

As he eventually reached the entrance of the castle, he concluded that, once upon a time, he _had_ been to that world. His mind spun with flashes of memories, memories that were not his own. He ran up the stairs and slammed the doors of the castle open without thinking to knock.

"I'm here! I'm here!" he exclaimed, panting in between his words.

There, seated on one of three thrones, was a man who smiled kindly. He stood and walked forward with a confident stride.

Sora walked towards him too, and the two met somewhere in the middle of the long hallway.

Upon closer inspection, Sora was able to see the sadness masked in the man's old, tired eyes.

His heart skipped a beat. He knew this man. Didn't he? No. He couldn't have. He pushed the thought aside.

"...Hey there!" he said, waving a flimsy hand. "I'm Sora!"

The man closed his eyes for a moment, as if amused by his introduction. "You're late, Sora," he said simply.

"What?" asked Sora, not knowing what else to say. He studied the man once more, glancing every now and then at the scars on his face.

The man sighed lightly. "I suppose, as they say, it's better late than never. Come. There is so much to do." He walked past Sora implying that he should follow.

Sora stood there for a moment, debating whether or not to follow the stranger, but soon found himself dashing after him. "Wait up!" he called.

The man kept walking, never turning to check if Sora was still behind him.

Sora took it upon himself to flood the man with questions as they walked. "What's your name?

Where are we? Where are we going? How did I get here?"

The man shot a glance at Sora and responded vaguely to Sora's questions. "I will tell you my name once your heart recalls it. We are in your imagined version of a world from your deepest memories. We are going to the room where you will temporarily reside in. You are dreaming, so none of this - neither the world nor I - are real."

A sound of confusion escaped Sora's mouth.

The man's smile grew wary. "I will explain, to the best of my ability, everything in depth tomorrow. For now." He stopped walking. "Rest well." He opened a door leading to a bedroom lined with books, a tiki mask, vines, and a toy boat hanging from the ceiling.

As soon as Sora saw the room, he felt warm inside. "Can you at least tell me your name? I have the strangest feeling that I should already know it," Sora admitted sheepishly.

The man refused to tell him. "You must remember it on your own, Sora. Then can we commence your training."

Sora seemed surprised. "Training?" he echoed. "Training for what?"

The man looked initially hesitant to tell him, but answered after thinking about how to word it. "We must train your heart to stay strong during the process of restoring your memories."

"Huh!?" asked Sora, shocked.

Thinking that he had perhaps articulated it incorrectly, the man shook his head. "I apologize if I startled you, Sora. Please, for the remainder of tonight, rest well. You will need your strength for tomorrow." He seemed to be holding back in a way. He was a reserved man who was careful to keep his distance that first night.

"Well, okay, if you say so," Sora agreed. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow!"

The man nodded as his farewell and disappeared back into the hallways. His footsteps became fainter and fainter.

Sora, curious, peeked his head through the doorway and watched him walk away. He eventually faded into the background. When he did, Sora reentered the room and held a hand to his heart.

He thought long and hard, but was unable to come up with a name. Disappointed in himself, he sat on the bed and stared out at the starry sky.

"He said that I'm dreaming right now, but why does it feel so real?" he mused. "Could it be that I'm not dreaming at all?"

He awoke the next morning unable to remember falling asleep the night before. He yawned and stretched his arms and legs before jumping out of bed. His stomach growled, demanding to be fed. Temporarily, he chose to ignore the hunger and instead search for the man.

Eventually, after leaving the bedroom, he found his way to the throne room where the two originally had met.

It seemed as though the man had been waiting for him. "Good afternoon, Sora," he said as soon as he saw him.

"Afternoon?" repeated Sora. "It's afternoon already?" He came closer to him.

The man closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes. Usually, I would not allow you to sleep in on training days, but I chose to make today and today only the exception." He stood from his seat. "The weather outside is lovely today. Perhaps we should speak there."

"Okay," said Sora cheerfully as he followed him out.

Once outside, they sat across from each other in white seats.

"Now, Sora, before I attempt to explain anything to you, did you remember my name?" There was a hopeful look in his eyes when he asked it.

Sora fidgeted slightly in his chair. He hadn't. "No..." he confessed as he lowered his gaze. He looked back up. "But it'll come eventually, right?" he asked, smiling as he rested two hands behind his head.

The man showed no visible signs of disappointment, but his voice grew strained. "I suppose..." he said, and later dropped the subject. "Now, I believe I owe you an explanation. First and foremost, you understand that this is a dream, yes?"

"Yeah," Sora said with a nod.

"And you understand that nothing here is real?" further interrogated the man.

"Well..." said Sora. "I guess so, but, to be honest, it...doesn't feel like a dream at all." He unconsciously held a hand to his stomach.

"Oh?" asked the man, taking note of the universal "I'm hungry" sign, but saying nothing about it.

"How so?"

Sora proceeded to explain. "Well, I dunno, I just have this...strange feeling that I know you. Or at least...that I'm supposed to. But I can't even remember your name." He took a pause. "I don't think I ever remember meeting you, but at the same time I feel like some part of me did." His heart was aching.

The man's face grew tender. "Your heart seeked me out, of all the people engraved in your memories, to guide you through this heavy process. You are connected to many people, Sora. It stands to reason that one of those people influenced your heart's decision to choose me. Why me, I do not know. It is something you will have to ask yourself."

"I guess that, to someone connected to me, you're someone really important," Sora said thoughtfully. He smiled widely. "Maybe if you tell me your name, I can remember you more!" he exclaimed in a childlike manner.

The man was quick to say no. "You must remember it on your own."

Sora went "aww" in disappointment. "But what can I call you then?" he asked eagerly.

The man thought it over. "I suppose," he said, looking away, "if anything, you may refer to me as...Master, if you wish."

"Okay then, Master!" Sora said delightfully. He looked excited to say it.

The master smiled faintly. "Now, Sora, shall we continue with the explanations? It seems as though we got a bit sidetracked."

"Yeah," agreed Sora. He paused. "Wait, am I allowed to ask questions?"

"But of course."

Sora's tone grew serious. "Is there anywhere we can go to eat?"

The request took the master by surprise. "I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"Well...it's just that...I can't even remember the last time I ate!" Sora said honestly. He thought of the delectable sandwich he never got to eat. His stomach, as if agreeing with him, grumbled.

The master thought it over. "You keep allowing yourself to forget that this is a dream, Sora," he said. "Simply dream up a meal or dream that you aren't hungry anymore."

Sora looked distressed. "But how do I do that?" he asked, clueless.

The man shrugged. "I haven't a clue."

* * *

Elsewhere, in the white room where Sora slept, Riku listened halfheartedly as Naminé explained the process of fixing Sora's memory.

He ate a bar of Twilight Town's specialty ice-cream flavor: sea salt, as he listened to her. He didn't particularly like it - the mix of saltiness and sweetness confused his taste buds - but he didn't like seeing things go to waste (that, and the thing had costed him a whopping 150 munny!) so he continued to eat it.

For some time, Naminé's words went in through one ear and out the other. He stopped paying attention and instead stared at his best friend, who was frozen with a smile, and thought about the chain of events that led them both to where they were now.

"Riku?" asked Naminé, snapping him back into reality.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Are you still listening?"

"Uh huh."

"DiZ designed the pods holding Sora and his friends to think only of sleep," said Naminé, choosing her words carefully. "But...they can still be influenced from what happens outside."

Riku looked at her curiously. "So if I say something to him, he'll hear me?"

"He...might, but he wouldn't be able to respond. But...well..." She decided to go right out with it. "Can you not eat in here?"

Riku stood as frozen as the ice-cream bar he ate. "...Why?" he asked, eyes wide.

"It's just that if you eat in here, Sora will get hungry," Naminé explained, smiling.

* * *

"Are you certain?" asked the master, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," said Sora, grinning. "I don't know how or why, but I'm not hungry at all anymore!"

The master seemed amused. "You are the spitting image of a pupil I once had, Sora," he said, careful not to reveal too much. He cleared his throat before Sora could question him. "Now then," he said. "Where was I? ...Ah yes, your training. Do you still recall what happened at Castle Oblivion?"

Sora thought about it. The memories were already feeling foggy, but he remembered bits and pieces. "Yeah...kind of," he said, scratching his cheek in thought. "I remember that me, Donald and Goofy were looking for Riku and the king. And there people in black coats...Axel?...and this girl. She looked like Kairi. And then..." He gasped out loud. "My memories! I'm sleeping because my memories were all jumbled up, right?"

The master nodded. "That is correct. Throughout this journey within a dream your heart will suffer greatly due to this very memory restoration. You will forget things and remember them and then forget them again, but do not fret. I will patiently remind you of what you must forget and what you must remember. I will train your heart to endure the hurt you will encounter. I promise you, Sora. I will protect your heart at all costs." He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder.

The master's words touched a deep part of Sora's heart. He spoke without thinking, in a soft, trembling voice, yet with words that were not his own. "Thank you, Master Eraqus," he said. He looked into Eraqus's old, tired eyes. They seemed to be watering, but perhaps it was simply a trick of the light.


	2. Think Before You Act

_Thank you to everyone for the reviews, views, favs, and follows! They really make my day! Xoxoxo_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Think Before You Act**

Eraqus, in Sora's eyes, was wise and skilled, but old and frail. When the master told him that he wished to test his physical abilities, Sora was hesitant to duel with him at all in fears of hurting him in any way.

Eraqus mirrored such confliction for different reasons, but, as he mentioned, there were no other sparring partners unless Sora dreamed some up. However, Sora hadn't even been able to dream up a lunch, much less a _person_. Therefore, it stood to reason that Sora would have to duel Eraqus after all.

The two stood facing each other on a circular mosaic ground. The sky was particularly blue that afternoon.

Eraqus instructed Sora to summon his keyblade, and he in turn did the same. "I will only block your attacks," he said, "you may use any ability you know to fight me. Give it your all so that I can determine what needs work and what does not."

Sora wavered. "Alright, I will," he finally agreed.

"Begin!" exclaimed Eraqus, and a second after he did, Sora rushed forward and swung his keyblade at him.

Eraqus was quick to block as if he was already expecting such an attack and moved swiftly from side to side avoiding more swings. He was initially not impressed.

Sora, who had underestimated Eraqus, had difficulty keeping up. He moved so much faster than he thought he would! Seeing as though the close combat wasn't working out, he dodge rolled away creating a large enough gap between the two of them to have time to think of something else.

Eraqus awaited patiently where he stood for Sora to act. He had a peculiar look in his eyes. It was almost a look of boredom.

It had reminded Sora of the look Riku had given him when sparring on the islands.

Now provoked and having something to prove, Sora lunged forward and slashed his keyblade at the man repeatedly. There was a great strength in his attacks, and Eraqus was genuinely surprised with the sudden change.

Though his attacks were predictable, they were stronger than he had expected. It seemed that, he too, had unfairly underestimated Sora.

The final move in Sora's powerful ground combo was enough to visibly make Eraqus's knees shake as he held his keyblade over his face to block.

This went on for some time - the little surprises both master and pupil had in store, and the sound of metal clashing - until, Eraqus, who was as worn out as Sora, called an end.

He took a single deep breath and no longer appeared tired. Sora kept breathing hard, but listened as the master spoke.

"You surprised me, Sora," he said, smiling faintly.

"Yeah, you surprised me too," Sora agreed, plopping to the ground to take a seat. His breathing gradually returned to normal. He grinned as he looked up to Eraqus. "How was that?" he asked with a smirk.

Eraqus thought it over. "You are indeed a skilled keyblade wielder," he began, and Sora gave a cocky smile. "However," he said, and as soon as he did, Sora's smile disappeared. "You lack something essential to anyone, whether it be a keyblade wielder or not. You lack battle strategy. From what I took note of, you simply go head first into the battle without taking the time to think. You are strong, Sora, but you need to _think_. I was moving in a repeating pattern, a pattern you failed to notice. Had you noticed it, you would have had a 20% higher hit rate. I also made sure to leave my guard down every time you finished an air combo; that would have been the perfect time to attack, but you failed to notice it as well." He crossed his arms.

Sora was shocked. It was the first time anyone had ever, _ever,_ scolded him about using the keyblade. Donald and Goofy offered only praise at his skills, but what did they know about using the keyblade? Standing in front of Sora was a keyblade _master_. He knew about using keyblades, and he told Sora that he needed work using his.

Eraqus shook his head. He continued to lecture Sora about the importance of thinking before acting.

Sora gave a nervous laugh when his lengthy speech was finished. He had nothing to say and didn't know where to look. The last time anyone lectured him about anything was long before the his fight with Ansem. It was on Destiny Islands when his teacher scolded him for never turning in his assignments on time. He stood, put two hands behind his head, and just waited for Eraqus to continue.

Eraqus's expression softened. "You've nothing to say in your defense?" he asked.

"No," Sora said, grinning widely. "I guess I do just kind of rush into things." He laughed briefly.

Eraqus thought for a moment. Once figuring out what to do, he summoned his keyblade once more and held it up with a straight arm. At the very tip of his keyblade, much to Sora's amazement, a single, small orb of light appeared in a flash. The master then brought his keyblade down and carefully picked up the orb. As soon as he did, his keyblade vanished. He held the orb to Sora's face.

"Your next task is simple. All you must do is catch this orb," he said, quickly pulling it away when Sora tried reaching out for it.

Sora sensed that the task wouldn't be "simple" at all. "Simple?" he repeated doubtfully. His eyes were only on the orb. There had to be some sort of catch, and he wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating Eraqus again.

"That is correct," assured Eraqus with a nod. "The rules, too, are simple. You have before the sun sets to catch it. You may use any magic you may know or any ability. But remember, _think before you act_. I cannot emphasize that enough."

Sora looked excitedly to Eraqus. "Okay!" he said with a determined fist to the air.

"Very well," said Eraqus. He let go of the orb, and it fell to the ground like a dead weight. "Good luck, Sora. I will be in the castle if you decide to give up." He walked away without another word.

Sora looked to the orb sitting on the ground and tilted his head to the side. All he had to do was catch it?

He thought and thought.

"Wait! Master Eraqus!" Sora called out, but he was already out of sight.

Sora, now alone, held a hand to his cheek and thought about it some more. Surely, it couldn't have been so easy, could it?

On the other hand, the master _did_ say that the task would be "simple." Was leaving it there right in front of him a way to make him overthink such a simple task of just picking it up? Or was leaving it there in front of him a trick to see if he'd fall for it?

Either way, there was a fifty/fifty chance of making a fool out of himself. He shrugged. Really, he thought, he had nothing to lose. He bent over and cautiously reached out for the orb.

As soon as his hand was just a hair away from the orb, the orb, as if acting with a mind of its own, jumped up into the air with such a great force it sent Sora, with a scream of distress, falling to the ground.

The orb then flew away at great speed.

Sora, angry at the thing, jumped up. "You won't get away that easily!" he threatened, dashing after it.

The orb flew in crazy zig zags and circles, and it flew faster than any heartless Sora had ever fought. Still, Sora was able to keep somewhat close behind out of sheer will. There were times when he was almost close enough to touch it, but everytime he tried to reach out to it, it only flew away faster.

He continued to run after it all throughout the world. He chased it through the gardens, the throne room, the library, the bedrooms, and the hallways of the castle. All the while, he knocked over frames and vases and anything glass with self made promises to clean everything up later. He even momentarily passed by Eraqus during his first and second laps around the castle, each time making sure to say a polite hello and goodbye.

Still though, the chase wore him out rather quickly. The distance between Sora and the orb became greater as Sora's frustration subsided. He lightly jogged after it, but decided that chasing it down wasn't the way to go.

He looked at the orb that flew far away from him and thought about what Eraqus had said about using whatever ability or magic he wanted to. Had he, by mentioning that, been encouraging Sora all along to use magic and abilities?

With that idea in mind, he summoned his keyblade and, with a new, confident smile, glided back within reach of the ever so taunting orb. He cast a powerful firaga spell at it. "Fire!" he shouted as a ball of flame sprung out from his keyblade and raced after the orb. As soon as the fireball met with the orb, the orb did not slow down at all. It simply changed from white to a reddish orange and traveled even _faster_ than before!

Sora stopped chasing it completely and stood with his mouth hanging wide open in surprise. He stared at the vast emptiness of the hallway. The orb was out of sight and he couldn't believe what had just happened.

Eraqus, holding several books, passed by. "Do not stand there with your mouth open, Sora. That is how children accidently swallow flies," he said with an amused tone.

Upon hearing his words, Sora unfroze and closed his mouth. "Master Eraqus," he said, accusingly. "You said this challenge would be simple!"

Eraqus smiled and placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Simple and easy are two different words, Sora." He laughed a bit. "Do you wish to give up?"

Sora, offended to even be reminded of such an option, was quick to say no. "I'm just getting started!" he clarified before running off in the direction he last saw the orb heading to.

The master stood there, shaking his head. The "Wild, Wild Goose Chase Challenge" as he had always referred to it, was not a training activity he had thought of right then and there. It was a challenge that he, long ago, had given to all three of his pupils. It was a challenge that only one of those three could figure out, but only until after sunset. Would Sora be any different? The master doubted it, but still, there was something about him, something that made him want to believe in him.

Meanwhile, when Sora eventually caught up with the orb, he continued to experiment with magic.

"Blizzard!" he shouted as he cast the icy spell aimed at the orb. As he predicted, the color flickered from orange to blue. Besides the color change, the orb suddenly flew in a different direction.

Sora was quick to notice the change in direction. Instead of flying in zig zags, it flew in mostly straight lines with sharp curves at corners.

While on to something, the sky already was changing from a bright blue to warm orange. Time was running out. The sun would be setting shortly.

In panic, Sora cast every spell he knew on the orb in hopes of finding a pattern. As he did so, it changed from blue to yellow to purple and then to grey. It looked something like a confused chameleon. It spun out of control in every direction, flickering on and off in every color, yet Sora continued to pursue it. There was a clear look of distress on his face, but it also seemed as though he was having fun.

Eraqus, from a distance, observed him carefully.

In the midst of running, Sora abruptly stopped. The orb kept on going without him until it was no longer in sight. Sora stared up at the sky for quite some time as if lost in a muse. He then looked left. Then right. Then down. Then left again, for quite some time. Then he laughed out loud and just stood there, as if he were waiting for something.

Eraqus continued to watch his pupil, puzzled.

Quite a bit of time passed and Sora stayed where he was. He leaned against the wall, tired of standing, and did nothing. He did, however, constantly look to his left.

Eraqus, confused as to why the sun hadn't set yet, went, "hm..." but did nothing more and waited for Sora's next move.

More time passed, and Eraqus had enough. The sun should have set long ago, but it stayed frozen where it had for longer than it should have. He approached Sora, but halted suddenly upon seeing a still color changing orb coming in from Sora's left.

As soon as it came, Sora was ready for it. He held out both of his large hands and the orb flew straight into them like a cannonball. The force was enough to send Sora flying, but as he fell to the ground, he kept the orb secured in his hands. He peeked through the cracks of his intertwined, gloved fingers to check up on the orb. As soon as he saw it in there, he cheered.

Eraqus took a moment to figure out what just happened and why the sunset was so late. Finally, he concluded that Sora had cleverly altered the dream to his own advantage. He couldn't help but to smile at the thought. He approached him.

"I did it, Master Eraqus!" Sora exclaimed, orb still in his hands. He held up his hands and shook the orb as if to prove it.

"Sora..." began Eraqus, with a chuckle. "You...delayed the sunset." He spoke almost in disbelief.

Sora looked confused. "I did?" he asked, unaware of what he had done.

Eraqus nodded. "I told you that you had until sunset to catch the orb, do you remember? Somehow, for one moment, you were able to control this dream. By doing so, you gave yourself extra time to complete the task."

Sora looked embarrassed. "So in other words, I cheated," he said, grinning.

"I suppose," Eraqus agreed. "Even so, I never said you were forbidden to change the dream to your advantage. To be honest, I didn't believe you could do so. And I am impressed. You were able to _change_ the dream, _and_ catch the orb. It was a job well done, but I must ask: how in the world were you able to catch it at all? Your method appeared..." he paused to search for the right word, "questionable."

Sora opened his hands and revealed the orb that continued to change colors. "Well," he said, looking at the orb as he spoke. "After running after it for so long I realized it _always_ passed by the staircase I was standing by. It had to be my twentieth time seeing that same staircase! So I figured if I just waited there it would eventually pass by again. Why? Did I do it wrong?"

Eraqus thought it over. The real way to catch it was a more complex procedure involving many patterns of magic, timing, and precision. It was complicated to figure out, but simple to execute. But he shook his head. "You did it just fine, Sora," he assured after looking into those big blue, hopeful eyes.

Later that night, Eraqus bid Sora goodnight and left without another word as he did the night before.

Sora lay on his bed twiddling around with his orb (Eraqus called it a prize for a job well done) and felt a wave of nostalgia. The orb he held in his hands was so warm, so bright. It reminded him, almost, of an orb of pure light that spoke to him as a child.

"No," said Sora aloud, addressing his thoughts. It hadn't been _just_ an orb. It was a...

Sora fell asleep shortly after mumbling, "a heart."

Sora awoke in the middle of the night with a start. His head was spinning and his stomach was tied in knots. He looked to the counter beside his bed just to make sure the orb was still there, and it was, still changing colors.

He sat up and held his hands up to his head. He groaned softly. Then, the pain intensified and his sleepy eyes shot wide open.

The entire room transformed. He no longer sat on his bed, but on the cold ground. The color was drained and replaced with nothing but white. There were white pillars, white doors, and white stairs. It looked like a place that Sora had been to before.

"Castle Oblivion?" Sora asked aloud as he winced.

The door closest to Sora flew open. Eraqus ran through it and came to Sora.

"Sora," he said, speaking calmly, but urgently. "You must allow your heart to forget this room."

"What?" asked Sora, feeling dizzy. "But why?"

Eraqus was stern. "In time, you must forget everything that happened in this castle. It is the only way. Please, Sora. Naminé has begun her work. It starts here, with this room of Castle Oblivion. You must forget it."

"I don't know how to," Sora admitted, feeling lost and a bit afraid.

Eraqus remained patient. "Attempt to," he said simply.

Sora tried, but couldn't forget. "I can't," he said helplessly.

Eraqus would not give up. "Your heart is afraid to forget the things most precious to you," he said, "but remember: my role is to make sure your precious memories stay with you. You must trust me when I tell you to let this memory go."

Sora looked deep into Eraqus' eyes. He trusted him without a doubt. As soon as he decided that, the room changed back in the blink of an eye.

Sora was sitting on his bed again, with Eraqus standing beside it.

The pain instantly went away. Sora, slightly confused, looked to his master for answers.

Eraqus took a small breath of relief. On the floor, he saw a single chain link twinkle in the moonlight. He proceeded to pick it up.

"You have forgotten your first memory of Castle Oblivion," he said, placing the chain link beside the orb on the counter. "In place of every memory lost, you will receive a single chain link. That's all that's left of forgotten memories, you see...nothing but an unconnected chain link." He lowered his gaze.

Sora was startled. "I...forgot something?" he asked.

"Do not worry, Sora," Eraqus said, looking back to him. He handed him the chain link. "Even if you forget something, the memory itself can never go away." He forced a smile.

Sora held the chain link with great care. "How many memories will I have to forget?" he asked softly.

"Many," answered Eraqus, with hesitation.

Sora was frowning for some time until perking up suddenly. "I can connect the chains again one day, can't I? Since the memories never go away, I can still remember them! One day, when my heart is strong enough, right? I don't want to have to forget Naminé and everything else that happened...there. In that castle. I have to remember one day. All I have to do is take care of these chain links; I can't lose a single one! Then, I can remember everything." He smiled widely, satisfied with his conclusion.

Eraqus, unsure if that was even possible, agreed anyway. "Perhaps," he said flatly.

"Yup!" said Sora, mind made up. "I'll hold on until the day I remember everything," he said.

"Rest," Eraqus said after a moment. "You'll need it for tomorrow's exercise."

He headed for the door.

"Master Eraqus," Sora called out before he had a chance to step out. His voice changed suddenly. It was much more serious, more mature, more sad.

"Yes?" asked Eraqus, without turning back.

Sora didn't immediately say what was on his mind. Finally, after a minute or so of silence, he spoke. "I can't remember anything about that castle, so will I...have to forget this dream too? Well, what I mean is...will I have to forget...you?"

Eraqus turned to face him. He had an empty look in his eyes. "Yes," he said, and that was all he said.


	3. Riku

**Chapter 3: Riku**

 _"Wake up, Sora."_

Sora, upon hearing the voice, groaned and pulled his sheets over his face. He didn't think of it then, but the voice was not Eraqus's and there were no other people in the world. However, he had barely gotten any sleep that night and had no energy to get up or to figure out who was speaking to him. He was physically and emotionally exhausted. Chasing after that orb really wore him out, and learning that he would eventually have to forget his own master hurt him deeply. He stayed up for hours after Eraqus left his room, just thinking. And now this? A wake up call at four in the morning, when it was still dark out and he was finally able to fall asleep? No way. Keyblade wielders need their sleep too.

Underneath the protection of his covers, he shut his eyes tightly figuring that if he feigned sleep, the voice would just go away. However, the logic of a sleeping person is never adequate. The voice remained.

 _"Come on, Sora."_ A chuckle. " _All you ever do is nap! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you even sleep_ while _you're sleeping."_

It was then when Sora's eyes shot open. He instantly recognized the voice. How had he failed to do so at first? The voice was sarcastic and rude, but it brought him great comfort. It could have belonged to one person and one person only. He bolted straight up and stared, wide-eyed, at the dark figure sitting across his room.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed.

At dawn, when Eraqus awoke, he was surprised to see Sora and Riku sparring outside.

"Giving up already?" asked Riku, tauntingly. "I thought you were stronger than that."

Before Sora could make his witty rebuttal, he locked eyes with Eraqus, who stood watching them both with a solemn expression. Just looking at Riku was enough for him to sense that something was wrong.

"Master Eraqus!" Sora exclaimed, not sensing what he did. He waved obliviously. "I dreamed up a Riku!"

"Hey," interjected Riku with a mixture of amusement and offense in his voice. "What do you mean 'a Riku?'"

Sora laughed in response, and Riku mirrored such laughter.

Eraqus approached the two boys, expression never changing. "Sora..." he began as he slowly pieced the puzzle together in his head.

"Who's this?" asked Riku, briefly scanning Eraqus from head to toe. He was no longer smiling.

"This is my keyblade master," Sora explained. "He's helping me keep my heart strong." He sounded proud just saying that.

Eraqus did not speak. He was done figuring out the puzzle and did not know how to break the news to Sora. It would be unwise to just come out with it. Sora's heart just wouldn't be able to take that.

Riku crossed his arms. "I don't know about him," he said. "Are you sure you can trust him?"

Sora looked confused. "Of course I can trust him," he declared, upset that Riku had even suggested such a thing. "What's the matter with you, Riku?"

"Well, I guess if you say so," Riku said in a plain and unconvincing voice.

Eraqus gave Riku a strange look, and then he looked to Sora.

"Sora," he said. "I will be sending you to other worlds today. It's possible that you will encounter old enemies in these worlds. There is a moogle shop, I believe, on the second floor. Make all of your preparations and come back when you're ready so I may further explain the task at hand."

Sora shot Riku a glance, but did not directly address him. He looked back to Eraqus. "Alright," he agreed before rushing off.

Once he was gone, Eraqus turned back to Riku with an accusing look.

"I know who you are, truly," Eraqus said. "You know as much as I. Why continue to torment him? You must be the one to tell him. I cannot. It would shatter his heart."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Riku said aloofly.

"You are just a dark memory of a replica," Eraqus said sternly. "And he's confused you for the real one."

Riku's tone grew bitter. "I may be just a memory, but _so are you_. He has to forget _you_ too _._ "

Eraqus showed no change in emotion to such a brutal comment. "You cannot continue this," he said. "You know as well as I that he must forget you. Do you not care for his wellbeing? His heart cannot take remembering more than a single Riku, and he _needs_ the real one."

Riku's voice went quiet; it was almost inaudible. He lowered his gaze. "Of course I care about him," he said. "I just...I've always wanted him, me, and Naminé to be best friends. After he forgets me, I'll have nowhere else to go. But in a dream, in _this_ dream, I can be the real to him for at least a little while. Please, Eraqus, give me just a bit of time with him. Then I'll tell him the truth and...and go away forever."

Eraqus's expression softened. In an attempt to emphasize with the replica, he said, "Alright. You may have some time, but remember, memories...never truly go away. A part of you, no matter how small, will remain inside of him even after he forgets you. No matter what." It seemed as though, by saying that, Eraqus was trying to comfort himself, too.

"I don't know about that," Riku admitted sullenly. He slowly lifted his head to look back to Eraqus. He appeared hesitant to continue to speak, but did so anyways. He seemed eager to speak about anything but himself. "Why did he pick you? To guide him, I mean," he said. "His heart could have picked someone he knew, but it didn't. It picked you, someone he's never met before. Why?"

Eraqus stared at the sky. "I do not know," he answered. "It was not my decision to make. Sora is connected deeply to a past student of mine. My thoughts are that it was that student that chose me, not Sora. Sora's heart just trusted in his decision and then created me from my student's memories. Yet, why that student would choose me, of all people..." his voice grew distant and distressed. "I haven't a clue. I have done nothing but hurt him. Why he still trusts in me is..." he spoke as if forcing himself to continue, "it is beyond me."

The silver haired boy gave a simple, "Oh." He did not know the context behind the master's pain and decided it was best not to ask.

Eraqus looked back to Riku and offered a genuine smile. "Sora will be revisiting the worlds he visited in Castle Oblivion today, as Naminé has chosen to wipe his memories of those revisits next. Do you wish to accompany him? Perhaps you can play a part in restoring his heart as well."

Riku visibly jumped at the offer. He studied the man standing before him with no longer a look of suspicion, but one of curiosity. He knew nothing of him, and neither did Sora, so why was it so easy to trust him? "Alright," Riku agreed, concealing his thoughts with a good poker face. "What do we have to do?"

The master took a pause as if to think about it. "Forgetting too much at once can prove to be too much for Sora's heart. In every world you two visit you will find a crown shaped card with a picture of that world on it. Collect all the world's cards and bring them here. Here, Sora will be able to forget the revisits to the worlds at a safe, gradual rate without having to leave the protection of this world."

Riku nodded. "Sounds easy enough," he said cooly. "But," his voice went quiet, "when do you think it would be best for him to forget me?"

"Well..." said Eraqus, "the most suitable place, I suppose, is in his home world. That is where his memories of the real one belong and where memories of you can fade away into."

Before Riku could respond, Sora returned with a look of eagerness on his face.

"What's today's mission, Master Eraqus?" he asked as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Eraqus explained it patiently. "You must collect twelve, crown shaped cards. There is one in every world. Riku will go as well and assist you. Once you've collected all the cards, return here at once."

Sora grew excited. "Riku can come too?" he asked sounding like a child on Christmas morning.

Riku flashed a smirk. Eraqus simply nodded, but he couldn't help but to smile too.

Sora grinned. "But how will we travel through the worlds?" he asked.

"That is for you to decide," Eraqus said vaguely. "You must dream up a way."

Sora became visibly distressed. "But I don't know how to control the dream," he reminded him.

"Oh come on, Sora. It can't be so hard," Riku interjected. "Just think about what you want. It's a dream. Anything goes."

Eraqus was swift to agree. "That is correct, Sora. You can do it. I know you can."

Sora, listening to the supportive words of his friends, nodded. He shut his eyes tightly and lifted two excited fists. It looked as if he was wishing on a shooting star. For a moment, he stood like that, wishing long and hard. His eyes then flickered open, and parked before the trio was the gummi ship.

"The gummi ship!" Sora said, almost as if he were surprised.

Riku and Eraqus were even more surprised. Neither expected such a colorful, massive vessel.

Riku in particular appeared the most amazed. He stared at the thing for quite some time. "I'm driving," he said, rushing towards it without thinking twice.

"Hey!" Sora called out, ready to run after him.

But Eraqus said, "Sora."

And Sora turned to him. "Yes, Master Eraqus?" he asked.

"While I am not with you, be sure to take good care of your heart," he said.

Sora looked puzzled. "You're not coming with us?" he asked, excitement draining from his face.

"I am bound to this world. I am not a separate memory, as Riku is, but a part of how you remember this _world_ ," Eraqus explained briefly. "I cannot leave and cannot be there with you, so please, Sora. Take care of your heart. Along the way, you may or may not have to forget...certain things, certain _people_. Forget only what you think you must, and trust in this whole process. Forgetting can be painful, but that pain is what will make you strong."

"Don't worry about me, Master Eraqus," Sora said with a smile. "Me and Riku will be back soon." His voice was assuring, but he looked somewhat nervous. He glanced over his shoulder to look back at the gummi ship.

When he did, Riku honked the horn as if to hurry him up.

Sora, who got the hint, exchanged his final farewell with Eraqus before rushing over to the ship.

Ever since entering the ship and blasting off, something about Sora seemed off. He was quiet and hadn't said much of anything at all as they flew. He only stared out the window watching the stars. Riku was quick to detect that something was wrong, but decided not to mention it until Sora wanted to. He, in that moment, felt as if he really was his lifelong best friend.

"So Eraqus wants us to collect cards, huh?" Riku asked as he steered the wheel. He looked, every now and then, at Sora through the rearview mirror. "If you ask me, that sounds pretty boring. Why don't we make it a little more interesting?"

Sora, upon hearing that, perked up almost instantly. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking away from the window and at Riku.

"Whoever collects the most cards wins. Fair enough, isn't it?" asked Riku with a smirk. "Winner gets a special prize."

Sora was quick to accept the challenge. "Okay, Riku," he said, sounding determined to win. "But what's the special prize?"

Riku laughed out loud. "You're such a kid, Sora," he said, conveniently neglecting to answer the question.

Just up ahead was Wonderland. Sora was the first to spot it.

"Look, Riku!" he said, jumping out of his seat and everything just to point at it. "It's Wonderland!"

Riku nodded. "I guess we'll go there first." He drove the gummi ship to the world and landed.

* * *

The world cards were fairly easy to obtain. In Wonderland, the card was on the ceiling, and Sora, who knew the world well from his last visit, got to it first. Afterwards, however, it took him hours just to find Riku, who had gotten lost in the queen's maze. In Agrabah, the card was in the treasure room in the Cave of Wonders; again, Sora got to it before Riku could because of how well he knew the world. In Atlantica, however, Riku proved to be the better swimmer and found the card hidden in a clam below the sunken ship.

In the Hundred Acre Wood, Sora found the card in a hunny pot while Riku made a friend out of Piglet, of all people. They stayed there for some time playing mini games and beating each other's high scores. When they eventually left and got to Neverland, Riku flew for the first time and found the card on Captain Hook's ship while Sora nearly lost almost all of his munny to a swindling moogle.

In Halloween Town Riku found the card in the Guillotine Square fountain. It burned a bit, sticking his hand in the green ooze, but it was "worth it." At Traverse Town, Sora received the card in the First District after mailing a postcard he found on the roof of the synthesis shop.

When they got to Olympus Coliseum, the "goat man" who "couldn't count" as Riku referred to him as, told them that the world card would be given as a prize to the winner of the "games." Eagerly, the two boys entered in different brackets so that they'd have to face each other in the end. When the two clashed, Riku was the stronger one and beat Sora, though it was almost the other way around. In Monstro, Sora found the card in the whale's stomach, but he couldn't find Riku for some time. That world was always so confusing to him. At Hollow Bastion, Riku found the card in a hidden treasure chest inside the castle.

Sora had five cards, and so did Riku. The score was tied, but there were still two more worlds to visit.

The next world on the map was Destiny Islands.

Sora, who was the prime driver now after Riku nearly crashed into Halloween Town, hesitated to land there. "We should go there last," he said with no further explanation. He went around that world and instead proceeded to land in the world that was somewhat unfamiliar to him: Twilight Town.

There, Riku asked why Sora he had skipped his home world.

Sora wouldn't say.

The two searched the abandoned mansion first. After searching everywhere there, they only found cobwebs and dust. The card was, in fact, in the woods being guarded by a large, heartless boss.

"You ready for this?" Riku asked as he summoned his weapon.

Sora nodded. "Yeah," he said, and they both attacked.

All the while, Sora seemed suddenly distant. He let his guard down often and got hit by attacks that he could have easily avoided.

Riku noticed his abrupt lack of motivation and put in an extra effort to defeat the heartless. When it was eventually defeated and released its large heart, Riku picked up the card the heartless left behind and handed it to Sora.

"You know what?" he said. "Forget this whole contest. What's wrong?" He crossed his arms.

Sora shook his head and forced a smile. "It's nothing, Riku," he said. His eyes lit up upon realizing something. "Hey, I think they sell ice-cream here!" He ran off into the direction of the town. "Come on!" he said, leading the way.

They sat on the edge of a clock tower as Sora had insisted. There, they ate a bar of blue, sea salt ice-cream each while watching the sunset.

"I know I came to this world before in Castle Oblivion," Sora began slowly, "but I feel like I've been here before that. I mean... I don't know. I feel like I've sat here here, on this same clocktower, eating this same ice-cream. It feels like a home to me, but I know it's not my home. Or, is it? Do you think this feeling is part of one of my jumbled memories, Riku?"

Riku stared longingly at the sunset. "Maybe," he answered with a shrug. "Or maybe not. Who really knows?" He took a bite out of his ice-cream.

Sora sighed lightly. "You know," he said with a trace of sadness. "I had a lot of fun with you today. All I've ever wanted was to travel the worlds with you and her, so, thank you. I'll never forget the fun I had with you." He smiled.

Riku looked to him through his peripheral vision, unable to even look him in the eyes. "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?" he asked softly. A part of him already knew the answer, though he was too stubborn to admit it.

Sora stared down at the ice-cream in his hands. "I know you're not the Riku that's supposed to be in my memories," he said.

Riku nearly choked on his ice-cream when he heard the confession. He stared, wide eyed, at his friend. "You knew?" he asked.

Sora nodded. "I didn't know at first, but I think I figured it out after hearing what Master Eraqus said. I knew you weren't the real one, and I should have told you that I knew. I'm sorry. I just...I didn't want to have to forget you. But I know that I have to. And I also know that the place I'll have to forget you in...it's at Destiny Islands, right? That's why I didn't want to go there. I wanted to be with you for just a little while longer." He held his ice-cream stick tighter.

"Hey," Riku said gently. "You won't miss me. Even after forgetting me, you'll still have the real one, remember? That's the one you _need._ You'll be fine."

Sora looked to be on the verge of anger. "But where will you go once I forget you? You'll have nowhere else to go! I can't let that happen."

Riku shook his head and looked back at he sunset. "I'm a replica, Sora, not a person. You don't have to worry about what happens to me. Besides..." He felt himself smile. "Memories can be forgotten, but they always remain a part of you no matter what. If anything, I'll fade away into your heart. And you know what? I'm okay with that. As far as I can tell...your heart is the biggest, warmest place a guy like me can fade into." He took another bite out of his ice-cream.

The two said nothing more.

On the gummi ship, Sora, attempting to lighten the mood, asked Riku what the "special prize" of the card collecting contest had been, because technically, he had won with six cards. Riku only laughed in response. Apparently, there had been no special prize at all.

Sora circled Destiny Islands three times before landing to further delay being having to forget the replica. He said whatever he could think to say in an attempt to embrace the last few moments he had with him.

Then, they landed. The moment had come.

The sat by the shore side by side listening to the gentle waves as they crashed against the sand. The world card eventually came from the ocean in a bottle that landed by Sora's feet.

After Sora picked it up, Riku was the first to speak.

"It's time," he said, looking to him.

"Okay," Sora said with a serious nod. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to forget. However, when he opened his eyes, Riku was still there, now frowning.

"I can't," Sora said, feeling helpless.

"Come on, Sora. You have to," Riku insisted. "I know it'll be hard for you, but you have to let your heart forget."

Sora continued to try, but he held himself back without even knowing. "I can't, Riku. I know you're his replica, but you just seem so real to me." He held a hand over his heart and lowered his head.

Riku winced upon hearing his words. He felt real to him?

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Naminé?" asked a blindfolded Riku as he walked over to the Nobody.

Naminé, seeing the blindfold for the first time, looked at him curiously, but did not address it. Her voice was small. "Sora's having trouble forgetting his memories of your replica," she said, sounding apologetic. She held her hands close to her nonexistent heart. "I think he's scared of forgetting the real you in the process."

Riku turned to face the sleeping Sora. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Actually, yes," she said shyly. "I think that you should say something to him. He needs to know that even after he forgets your replica, he'll still remember you."

Riku stiffened. Since day one, he knew he if he spoke to Sora, Sora would be able to hear him. Even so, he hadn't said a single thing to him. All along, he had been keeping it all to himself, bottled up inside. Perhaps now was the perfect time to finally let it all out. He took a deep breath and placed a hand on the pod. "Okay," he said to Naminé. "I'll try talking to him."

* * *

"Sora. Keep trying," the replica urged.

Sora shook his head. "I can't," he said, shutting his eyes.

"You won't forget me, Sora," said the faint voice of the real Riku. "You have to trust me."

Sora opened his eyes rapidly. "Did you say that?" he asked the replica. The boy said no.

Sora looked to the ocean.

"I won't leave you once you forget him," the real Riku went on. "I...I won't ever leave you again, okay? Look. I'm...sorry. For everything. I really am. I am _so sorry,_ Sora. But we're trying to fix your heart now, and to do that, you have to forget everything from that castle. Even my replica. Look, just close your eyes and listen to me: I won't ever leave you again. Never forget that."

Sora closed his eyes slowly and repeated the words in his head.

 _I won't ever leave you again._

When Riku stopped speaking, Sora opened his eyes. The replica no longer sat beside him. In his place was a single chain link.

* * *

When the gummi ship landed back in the Land of Departure, Eraqus was already there waiting for not two, but one person to emerge.

But when Sora did come out, his eyes and nose were red and puffy, and without saying anything, he threw himself into Eraqus's open arms.

* * *

 _Let me know what you think in the reviews. Suggestions, cristisms, questions, concerns, whatver the heck. Also, I'd like to thank every single person who has made it this far into the story! Without your support I would have given up on this story long ago. So: thank you! Xxooxo Also, I was thinking of turning Repliku and Sora's journeys around the worlds into a series of one shots. More in depth I mean. I was gonna include the in depth adventures in this chapter but it felt too...out of place? What do you guys think?_


	4. A Million Lanterns

**Chapter 4: A Million Lanterns**

That night, Sora watched the stars. They illuminated the darkness of night like a million lanterns.

There were many worlds. He knew that because he, the ordinary island boy, of all people, had gotten the chance to travel them. Not only had he gotten to see them, but he also had made so many friends along the way, and he really was grateful for that. His friends were what made him strong. Watching the night sky reminded him of that. And so he watched the stars with a look of admiration and wonder. He had not seen every world. He had only been exposed to a few. There were still so many out there. In other words, there were still so many friends waiting to be made.

Yet still, there seemed to be a hole in his heart in place of something important, something he could not remember. What pained him the most was the fact that he could not, no matter how he tried, remember why his heart ached. It just did. He felt the chain link, the one that had been left behind at the islands, in his pocket and squeezed it tightly.

The pain was difficult for him to understand. It wasn't a pain that he could necessarily describe, but rather a sort of empty sensation as if someone had torn a piece of his heart away.

He continued to watch the stars and was reminded of the many meteor showers that he had watched as a child at his home world. If he closed his eyes, he could just see his younger self looking up at the stars, just as he was in that moment, smiling and wishing for adventure. He could almost imagine it, the cool, island breeze and the soothing sound of the ocean. Beside him stood Riku and that girl. They always seemed to be with him. It was funny. No matter how much he tried, he could never think of a time he was ever really alone.

The warm sense of nostalgia numbed the hollow pain in his heart if even for a second. Without even realizing it, his eyes searched the sky for any trace of a shooting star. But why? He caught himself. He hadn't wished on a shooting star since he was a child.

He thought about a potential wish in case he did come across one. As he pondered, he lifted a gloved hand to his chest. He silently decided that his wish would be to forget the pain in his heart and remember everything. Having to forget, as he concluded, brought nothing but that empty feeling to his heart. He wanted to remember Eraqus and Naminé and anyone else he had already forgotten. That way, his heart would be strong, and he wouldn't have to deal with so much sorrow.

He continued to scan the sky for just one shooting star to make his wish. Alas, the stars did not move. There were many stars, but not a single one that Sora could wish upon. It was the first and only time the stars disappointed him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his master's voice.

"How is your heart holding up, Sora?" asked Eraqus as he approached him. He sounded concerned as he always did when they spoke of Sora's heart.

Sora looked briefly to Eraqus. "I'm alright now," he said softly, though that was a lie. The hurt he felt seemed as if it were consuming his heart slowly. Even so, he did not mention it. Instead he, in an attempt to stay optimistic, grinned as he rested his hands behind his head. "I've been thinking," he said, desperate to change the subject. "Donald and Goofy were with me while I was at Castle Oblivion. They need to get their hearts restored too. What do you think _their_ dreams are like?" For some reason, he seemed amused just thinking about it.

For some time, only the song of crickets sounded.

Eraqus looked to the stars. "You should rest," he said, interrupting the gentle hum of the insects. "Tomorrow, unfortunately, will be no different. You will have to continue to forget more and more things. Some things will make you grieve as you did today, but others will bring you great relief to be rid of. There is no way around it. Forgetting is the only way," he said, as if attempting to remind him.

Sora said nothing.

"And, Sora?" Eraqus added, hesitating slightly. "Please, for my sake and your own, no more tears." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "It is so unlike you, to cry." He smiled wearily down at him.

Sora nodded. "I won't," he promised.

Eraqus's hand slowly slipped away from him. He looked at Sora, and in that moment, thought only of Ventus. "I should apologize," he said quietly, almost as if he were just thinking out loud.

Sora, curious, gave him his full attention. "What for?" he asked.

The master, perhaps surprised that Sora had even heard him at all, shook his head briefly. "It is nothing," he said, looking far away from Sora's wondering gaze.

Sora, out of the blue, asked, "Are you talking about apologizing to your past student?"

Eraqus visibly froze. "Yes," he said, careful to not reveal too much.

Sora smiled warmly. "Ventus. That was his name, right?" he asked, continuing to surprise the man.

"How did you know his name, Sora?" Eraqus questioned, appearing somewhat distressed. He had been so careful never to tell him anything about his past.

Sora thought about it. "I don't really know," he admitted. "I just suddenly thought about it just like the first time I tried to think of your name." He took a pause. "What was he like?"

"He was a very determined young boy," Eraqus said, but Sora was not satisfied with such a vague description.

Eraqus cleared his throat and carefully continued after looking at Sora's face of dissatisfaction. His goal was to describe Ventus in such a way that he didn't have to completely open up to Sora, but he couldn't help it.

"He insisted I call him 'Ven' but I was never fond of nicknames, so he was always just Ventus to me." He closed his eyes as if to imagine him. He felt himself smile. "He was always such a child. When I did accidently refer to him as his desired nickname, he wouldn't let me hear the end of it. And as I mentioned before, he was determined. He would whine about the simplest of training exercises, yet he was always the last of the three to quit anything. He and his friends were inseparable." He shook his head, and his voice softened. "He was the one I hurt the most." He opened his eyes and looked at Sora as if waiting for a response.

Sora appeared captivated by the master's words. "And what about your other two students?" he asked. "What were they like?"

Eraqus did not plan to continue, but decided Sora wouldn't stop asking now that he had already described Ventus.

"My second pupil. Master Aqua." He looked proud just saying her name and title. "She was the most mature out of the three. She knew how to put Terra and Ventus in their place when she needed to. She was graceful and refined, and a wonderful baker I must add. Her magic was more advanced than anything I had ever seen, really. I was and always will be proud of her."

Sora felt touched by how vividly the master remembered them. "And your third student?" he asked.

Eraqus frowned slightly. "Terra," he said, voice cracking. And that was all he said about him for some time before continuing. "...He was the strongest. He took care of Aqua and Ventus at all costs. He teased Ventus often, but it was all in good nature. And when he went too far, he apologized over and over. He really did not enjoy sweets at all, which was a shame because that's all Aqua would bake." He laughed lightly, but then his voice grew sad. "But he was obsessed with power. I tried to reach out to him, but I failed, both as a master and as a father."

Sora frowned as he studied Eraqus. He had never seen him in such a vulnerable state.

As if to let everything out, Eraqus continued to speak of the past. "I didn't only fail Terra. I failed all of them. I wasn't there when they needed me most." He lowered his head. "What kind of master isn't there for his students?"

"Hey," Sora interrupted, smiling faintly. "You shouldn't blame yourself for all that. That isn't what they would want." He spoke as if he had personally known Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.

Eraqus glimpsed at him. "You don't know that, Sora," he said calmly.

Sora's smile widened. "Maybe I don't, but from what I can tell, you all really did care for each other. You have a special place in your heart for them just like they have a special place in theirs for you. You can't stay mad at someone special like that, no matter what they did or didn't do."

Holding back, Eraqus simply said, "I suppose," and the conversation was dropped just like that.

For some time, the master and student stayed like that, watching the motionless stars, until Eraqus proceeded to take his leave.

"Do not stay up too long, Sora," he said distantly. "You had a long day. Rest well." Without waiting for a response, he left.

Sora remained.

It took quite a bit of time after Eraqus left, but there it was. A single star danced across the sky for a fraction of a second.

Sora, who had been feeling the chain link in his pocket, was ready to wish for the pain in heart to one day go away until suddenly stopping himself. His hand slowly let go of the chain link and allowed it to fall to the bottom of his pocket.

He closed his eyes.

The pain in his heart, he decided, was all he had left behind of what he had to forget. Without it, he didn't have a chance of ever remembering anything. As much as he didn't want it, he needed it.

He thought of Eraqus. His pain was different than his. It seemed to be the type of pain that caused sleepless nights and constant what ifs. It hurt Sora, just seeing Eraqus like that. _It just wasn't like him._

And so Sora did not wish for the pain in his heart to go away as he originally planned. He did not wish to remember everyone and everything. That, he would have to figure out how to do himself.

His new wish was a simple one, one with all his heart he hoped would come true.

He wished for Eraqus to one day reunite with his students.

After doing so, three faint stars twinkled a bit brighter. It was then when Sora knew that everything would work out in the end as if always does for people who believe it will.


	5. Kairi

**Chapter 5: Kairi**

 _It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me!_

Sora heard the voice, her voice, in the midst of a sparring match with Eraqus.

"Huh?" he asked, lowering his guard. His heart began to race as he attempted to process what he had just heard. Eraqus, taking full advantage of his distracted state, was able to corner him. Cornered and distracted, Sora was barely able to block the various attacks of Eraqus's keyblade. Finally, after the sound of metal clashing faded, Eraqus pointed his keyblade at the powerless Sora with a hint of a smile.

The master kept his weapon aimed at his student for some time before bringing it down to his side. "You mustn't lower your guard, Sora," he gently chided. He then proceeded to calmly walk back to the center of the mosaic fighting ground.

Sora, feeling defeated, followed after. He allowed himself to momentarily forget the voice to redeem himself. "One more match!" he declared as he readied his battle stance. "I'll beat you this time for sure!"

Eraqus raised an eyebrow. "You haven't given up yet, Sora?" he asked.

While exhausted, Sora needed time to delay forgetting the next world card. He had been with Eraqus for many weeks now, and he had already forgotten so many things. He just couldn't handle it any longer. And so, it was the little things he did to indirectly avoid forgetting. Even so, it was these little things that Eraqus was quick to notice.

"What? No! Come on, one more match, Master Eraqus!" Sora insisted.

"So be it," said Eraqus. "One more match and then you must forget the Wonderland world card. Is that understood?"

Sora didn't like it, but he nodded.

Eraqus readied his battle stance and commenced the countdown. "1, 2, 3, begin!" he exclaimed, jumping back as Sora swung the Kingdom Key where he stood.

Eraqus continued to avoid Sora's attacks by moving swiftly. Sora swung left, and Eraqus moved right; Sora swung right, and Eraqus moved left. The pattern continued until Sora abruptly went left, right, right instead of left, right, left. This caused Eraqus to get hit by the keyblade and stumble back slightly. While momentarily unbalanced, Sora took the opportunity to perform an air combo.

Eraqus cut off Sora's air combo with a powerful thrust of his keyblade that sent Sora staggering backwards. But Sora was persistent and came right back leaping with another air combo. That time, he was able to complete it only for Eraqus to counter with a longer string of attacks.

Sora was able to block most of the hits, but the ones that he couldn't visibly shook him.

Yet still, he persisted. It was, after all, the last match of the day.

He rushed close to Eraqus and slashed his keyblade twice in the shape of an X. This caused Eraqus's grip on the Master Keeper to loosen.

Before Eraqus could recover from such an attack, Sora skillfully maneuvered the Kingdom Key in such a way in which it was able to slide underneath Eraqus's. With a strong push, Sora was able to toss the Master Keeper aside. The keyblade flew to the ground where it clattered from side to side before settling to a stop.

Sora, panting heavily, pointed his keyblade at Eraqus with a victorious grin before lowering it.

Eraqus appeared impressed, but did not directly comment on his loss. "Very good, Sora," he said simply. He proceeded to walk over to his fallen keyblade. Once it was at his feet, he summoned it to his open hand. He continued to speak, but Sora no longer paid attention upon hearing her voice again. This time, it was more of a faint echo, like the voice of a phantom briefly passing by in the wind.

 _Sora, let's take the raft and go! Just the two of us!_

Eraqus's voice became more distant as Sora frantically searched his memories for the speaker of such a nostalgic voice. All he yearned for was a name, a face, anything. Wasn't she special to him? She was - he could just feel it. But who was she? What did she look like? What was her name? Why couldn't he remember her?

"Sora, are you alright?" Eraqus asked, disrupting his thoughts.

It took more than a moment for Sora to respond. "Yeah," he finally said absent mindedly. "I think so." But the twisted feeling in his stomach remained.

Eraqus appeared dubious. "If something is troubling you, you should not keep it to yourself," he explained. "Perhaps I can be of help to you. That is the role I was made to fulfill, after all." He dismissed his keyblade and crossed his arms.

Sora considered telling him, but couldn't come to terms with admitting that he had forgotten someone so important to him. Perhaps, he figured, it was all just a side effect of having his heart restored. Maybe he hadn't really forgotten her (whoever she was) at all. How could he forget someone so important to him? "It's nothing," he said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. He turned sheepish. "What were you saying, again?"

Eraqus sighed lightly. He was very well aware of the fact that Sora was lying to him - that much was obvious - but he also was aware of the fact that he could not force Sora to tell him what was wrong. He would have to wait for Sora to decide for himself to tell him. He repeated what he hadn't heard him say previously.

"You must forget the Wonderland card now, Sora. You cannot put off forgetting the revisits to the worlds any longer. I know it pains you to have to forget, but you must forget it all. You know that."

Sora nodded slightly, but he was frowning. "I know," he said, unwilling to even look Eraqus in the eyes anymore. "It's just...so much." He looked down at his shoes.

"You can do it. I know you can. Your heart is strong," Eraqus assured, in an attempt to comfort the boy. Then he, from the pocket of his white coat, pulled out the world card. "It is time," he said softly.

* * *

"You seem to be struggling." The man in red said as he approached the petite blonde.

"A Nobody is interfering, I think," explained Naminé, holding her hands up to the heart she didn't have.

The man, DiZ, was appalled. "A Nobody?" he repeated.

Naminé lowered her gaze. "I keep trying to piece his memories back together, but what if some of the pieces got lost? There would be no way for me to finish. If that happened, and they found their way into someone else, he'd never get them back."

DiZ remained unfazed. "Oh, I think he can do without a memory or two."

Naminé looked at him. "But what if he needs those memories in order to wake up? What if they're the key?"

"Naminé, you are a witch with power over Sora's memories and those connected to him. Are you seeing something I cannot?" DiZ's voice grew concerned.

Naminé looked down once more. "If his memories become her memories, she will never survive it."

There was a pause.

 _"She?"_

* * *

Sora held the chain link that was once his memory of the Wonderland card in the palm of his hand. The chain link itself was identical to every other one that he had been saving. It was as indistinguishable as they all were, and impossible to chain together despite Sora's various attempts to do so.

He sat at the edge of his bed, hunched over, silently staring at the chain link. He thought of Eraqus and Naminé. Soon, they would be nothing but a chain link too. Then he, in frustration, tossed the link to the counter with all the rest. There were now enough to form a pile.

He then stretched out on his bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Soon, he saw darkness when his eyelids closed.

But before he could fall asleep, her voice spoke to him again.

 _Sora, you lazy bum. I knew I'd find you snoozing down here._

When she spoke, he felt a warm flicker of light inside. But as soon as her voice faded away, he frlt only the void of darkness.

He sat up and desperately searched the dark room for the speaker, but she was not there.

He realized then that he could not remember her on his own. He had been a fool for concealing it from his master.

Jumping out of bed, he decided to inform Eraqus immediately. His heart just couldn't take it any longer. He needed her, his warm flicker of light. He went out into the hall with a hand over his chest.

"Master Eraqus?" he called out at once, but he received no response.

He walked further down the hall before calling out to him again. "Master?" he asked again.

That time, within a two second delay, he got a response. It was a familiar sounding voice, but one he could not match to a face or a name. It was nothing like hers.

"Well hello, Sora. Long time no see. How've ya been?"

Sora, letting the pain in his heart get the best of him, let out only a soft groan in response.

The voice chuckled. "Sorry I asked!"

"Who's there?" Sora forced out, angrily.

After growing accustomed to the darkness of the hallway, Sora was able to see that there leaned a hooded character against the wall, arms crossed and all.

"Oh come on. I thought you already had the name memorized," the man said tauntingly. He spoke with exaggerated hand gestures.

As soon as he heard that remark, Sora could, vaguely, remember meeting him in Castle Oblivion.

"Axel!" he exclaimed, taking a step back in surprise.

"Bingo!" Axel said obnoxiously as he took down his hood. It was revealed that he had been, all along, smirking underneath.

Sora glared at him.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Axel said as he rolled his eyes. He placed a hand on his hip. "You had to know that this was coming. You're forgetting everything from Castle Oblivion, remember? That means you hafta forget everyone you met there too. In other words, you gotta forget me." He pointed at himself.

"That means I have to face the other ones too," Sora said quietly, speaking more to himself than to Axel.

The fiery redhead responded anyway. "Very _good_ , Sora!" he said as if he was speaking to a child learning how to count. He continued. "Let me fill you in on a little secret: you and me? We're actually best friends." He grinned as Sora gave him the reaction he was waiting for.

"You aren't my best friend," Sora snapped, just as Axel predicted he would. "You aren't even my friend!"

"Oh come on," Axel pressed on. "You have to believe it, Sora. But then again," he took a pause to add on to the suspense, "what did I expect? You already forgot Riku once and you can't even remember her. That isn't how you're supposed to treat your friends, Sora."

Sora froze. "I never forgot Riku and I _do_ remember her," he said quietly, hands turning to fists at his sides.

"Is that so, keyblade master?" asked Axel sarcastically.

"I remember both of them. They're both my best friends. Riku and..." Sora said, and in a flash he held his keyblade, "and Kairi!"

Axel looked genuinely surprised. But he simply said, " _Took you long enough_."

Sora glared intensely at the cloaked man. He and all the other Nobodies were the one memory he could do without. He closed his eyes and tried to forget him, but discovered that he just couldn't. His eyes rapidly reopened.

"Huh?" Sora asked himself when he couldn't forget Axel no matter how much he tried.

"Something the matter, Sora?" asked Axel with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Why can't I forget you?" Sora demanded, holding the handle of his keyblade tighter.

The man chuckled. It was as if he knew of all the ways to provoke Sora. "I already told you," he explained. "It's because we're best friends. Got it memorized?" He gestured to the side of his head.

"No!" Sora cried. "This must be another one of your tricks. I won't fall for it!"

Axel visibly rolled his eyes. "Oh, please! Don't you get it? This entire dream is trick! Nothing here, not me, not your master, not this castle, nothing here is real! The only thing that's real is the fact that you forgot her, and now you'll never be able to wake up."

"I didn't forget...her," Sora said bitterly.

"Did you forget her name again, Sora?" Axel asked playfully. "Ah come on. You just had it."

Sora's grip on the keyblade loosened. He looked up helplessly at Axel. "You know who she is. Please, Axel...tell me. Will you tell me why she's so important to me?"

Axel didn't even consider it. "No."

That only fueled Sora's anger once more. "That's enough!" he exclaimed, running past Axel. He ran forward in hopes of finding Eraqus.

"If it's your master you're looking for, too bad. You won't be able to find him here!" Axel called out, stopping Sora dead in his tracks.

Sora slowly turned around to face him. "What are you talking about? Where else would he be?" he asked, feeling a touch of betrayal. He spoke softly.

"Beats me," Axel responded with a shrug. "I just saw the guy, dressed in full armour fly out of this world not too long ago."

"You're lying," Sora said with a trembling voice. "Master Eraqus told me that he was bound to this world. You couldn't have seen him leave."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain I'm the one who has been lying to you?" he asked vaguely.

Sora considered it. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Axel continued.

With the wave of his hand, Axel opened a dark corridor in front of Sora. "If you enter, maybe you'll find her," he offered mysteriously. "If not, I suppose you can continue to search for your master. Just ask yourself, who's more important to you? That girl or the master who's been keeping secrets from you?"

With a final smirk, Axel disappeared into darkness.

Only Sora and the dark corridor remained.

The boy stared into the swirling, seemingly never ending darkness. He remembered such dark corridors from Castle Oblivion. If he didn't enter it soon, he realized, it would vanish. But how could he find it in himself to trust Axel over Eraqus? For all he knew, Axel could have been lying to him the entire time. Then again, what if it had been Eraqus, all along, not telling Sora the whole truth?

The more he looked into the darkness of the corridor, the more he recalled a time when he too was lost in darkness. It was when he went to rescue her. A time when he lost his heart.

But she was the one to save him. She had been the one to save his heart from the darkness.

He needed her.

The voice spoke to him one last time. It was like the light of a candle burning out.

 _Don't ever forget: wherever you go, I'm always with you._

He ran right back into the darkness even if it meant losing himself to find her.

* * *

 _A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait. The slowest writer award goes to me I guess! I'll try to upload sooner next time. But what happened!? Drama! Did Eraqus really lie to Sora or nah? But why!? Where was Eraqus going anyways? Or was that all just something Axel made up? What does Axel really want anyway? You'll have to keep reading if you ever want to find out. Or you can take a guess in the reviews. Heh. Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, suggestions, etc. are always welcome! A BIG thank you to everyone who has left a review thus far! Thank you, you lovely people. Have a great day! I hope to update sooooon! xoxoxxo_


	6. The Eternal Optimist

_Wrote this chapter listening to Dearly Beloved on repeat_ _for like a solid hour and I'm still not sick of it. But anyways. Thank you for continuing to read. :)_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Eternal Optimist**

When Sora raced out of the dark corridor, he was surprised to see, of all things, the vastness of the calming ocean before him. The darkness had led him to his home world. Even so, running straight into the darkness had made him grow weary. He took a few minutes to catch his breath. In that time, he told himself repeatedly that **everything would be okay**.

Then, he stood there, frozen, studying the gentle waves as they crashed against the shore. Just standing on the familiar sand was enough to warm his heart, but that warmth was not enough. He needed her, the girl who was now but a blurry image in his mind. He tried to imagine her, but gradually she slipped away. He could not recall the color of her hair, nor the glisten of her eyes, nor the melody of her voice.

Sora paced the shore slowly. Why had Axel sent him to the islands? Was it a hint?

That was when, by chance, his gaze fell upon an entrance hidden in the vines just past the waterfall.

His heart ached with an urgent longing to enter such a place. It led to a cave, but not just any cave. It was _their_ cave. It was the place that he, Riku, and that girl used to play in all the time. It was always their secret. It was where they would spend hours just carving drawings into the wall. It was where Sora had drawn her, and she in return had drawn him.

He had also added in something to the drawing. He was handing something to her. What was it, again?

He rushed into the cave thinking that once he surrounded himself with the familiar setting, **everything would be okay**. The entrance itself was a tad small, so he had to get down on his hands and knees to crawl through the narrow tunnelway. He scuffled in as swiftly as he could before reaching the point in he was able to straighten.

He took in the nostalgic view with wonder in his eyes. Everywhere there were drawings, each drawing a foggy memory.

With careful steps, he made his way to the corner of the cave where he could remember drawing her. He hoped that, by just seeing that drawing, something, _anything_ , would come back.

But when he faced the wall, he was, needless to say, petrified. The drawing of the two of them was simply _not there_.

He ran a trembling hand across the smoothness of the wall, questioning how such a thing could have happened. It had to have been his own fault. How could he have let his own light slip away?

That was when, for the first time since falling asleep, Naminé spoke directly to him.

 _"Sora, it isn't your fault!"_

Sora let out a small gasp at the abrupt outburst. "Naminé?" he asked, looking up in all directions for her.

 _"...I'm sorry, Sora," Naminé continued. "It's just...there have been a few complications out here. There's just...there's this girl. Her name is Xion. She doesn't mean to, but I think that she's absorbing your memories of_ her _to become her own person. By doing so, she's taking_ her _away from you. There's nothing that you can do about it while you're dreaming, but don't be sad, Sora. You have friends out here in the real world that won't rest until your heart is restored. You have Riku. And...you have me, too."_ Sora could imagine her smiling timidly as she said it _. "We won't let you lose her forever, even while it might feel like you have. I promise."_

Her voice faded.

Though alarmed, Sora felt a sudden sense of comfort.

Surely, it would be difficult to continue moving forward without the girl who was so important to him, but it would be okay. **Everything would be okay** in the end. He just knew it would. His heart would be restored to the way it once was. Then he would finally be able to find Riku and return to the islands, to return to _her_. And somewhere along the way he would remember everything and everyone from the deepest depths of his heart.

He was, honestly, afraid, but he trusted his friends. Taking one last glance at the empty wall, he left the cave as he had come.

* * *

Elsewhere, in desolate, endless white hallways, Eraqus frantically searched for the room the hooded figure had spoken of. But, the chamber, _where was it_?

* * *

Sora, who lay stretched out on the shore, had fallen fast asleep thinking of the girl he had lost. He, however, did not dream of her. Instead, he dreamt of that other girl Naminé had briefly mentioned: Xion. He wasn't sure how he had known that it was her for sure; he just had a feeling that it was.

The dream within a dream was a hazy one. Bells from a tower rang faintly and the sun was setting for what seemed to be an eternity. Lavender clouds adorned the twilight sky.

To his left was Xion. She looked and felt like an old, childhood friend of his, but simultaneously felt as if she were a complete stranger. She didn't speak to him at first; she merely took small bites out of a light blue ice-cream bar and smiled at him once. Her gaze was fixed on the sunset.

To his right, surprisingly, was Axel. But something about him was off, or at least, different than what Sora had been used to seeing. Axel, sitting there with one knee up, appeared almost content. He had already finished his ice-cream, but the stick was still in his mouth. He, like Xion, had also silently smiled at him.

Sora sat in between them. He was holding a blue ice-cream bar too, but something felt wrong. It was as if it wasn't his place to be there. Axel and Xion didn't seem to mind him, but Sora just couldn't shake off the feeling that it was supposed to be someone else sitting in the middle instead of him.

And so, he stood.

"Why am I here?" he asked anyone who would answer.

Axel responded softly. "Well why do you think so, Sora?"

"I don't know," Sora admitted.

"You should eat your ice-cream before it melts," Xion offered quietly. She did not look at him when she said it.

But Sora just couldn't stop thinking that something was terribly wrong. It really shouldn't have been him eating ice-cream with Axel and Xion. It was supposed to be someone else. He took one last look at both characters before the dream faded and he gradually woke up.

He spotted two figures dressed in the same black coats by the distant paopu fruit tree. Upon further inspection, he was able to determine that the taller one with the blank expression was Axel and that the one with long, blond hair was another person from his memories: Vexen.

Sora could hear their conversation clearly, despite the distance between them.

"I won't let you tell him at any costs, Vexen."

"No!" cried Vexen as he backed away from Axel, trembling. "I don't want to go!"

This caused Sora to feel a sense of déjà vu. He had witnessed such a scene before, hadn't he? He thought it over until he remembered. It was when...

He gasped out loud and, without thinking twice, ran as quickly as his feet would take him in their direction. He knew exactly what was happening. Perhaps this time, he figured, he wouldn't have to feel so helpless as Axel assassinated his own colleague.

But just as Sora was running on the wooden bride to them, it was too late.

"Goodbye," said Axel impassively as he snapped his fingers.

Vexen visibly trembled before catching on fire.

Sora's horrified, wide eyes reflected the blinding light of the flames that combusted the man before him.

Axel remained unfazed.

When Sora finally reached Axel, he was speechless. How could he? How could he, the man who seemed so kind in his dream, murder someone as if it was nothing?

Axel raised an eyebrow upon seeing Sora. His expression softened. "Oh, when did you get here, Sora?" His voice changed from a serious tone to a playful one.

"You killed him!" Sora yelled. "How could you?"

Axel crossed his arms. "We've been over this before, Sora. He was a Nobody. He didn't exist to begin with. Why can't you just _get it memorized_ already, man?" He smiled a bit at Sora's reaction.

"Just, what _are_ you!?" Sora demanded, summoning his keyblade and gripping it tightly.

Axel held up a hand as if to say _oh please._

This only further upset Sora. "Answer me!" he demanded.

"Look, Vexen wanted to tell you something that would ruin everything I've worked hard to protect. Just...forget about it, alright?" Axel asked calmly.

Sora was about to say something, but what Axel had said, _forget about it_ , triggered something within him. His heart raced. Within seconds, he did it. He _forgot_. The memory of Vexen and his demise transformed into a single chain link left on the ground.

Sora, in a daze, looked to the link with a confused stare.

Axel, in the meantime, proceeded to pick it up. "Huh," he said, more so to himself than to Sora. "So _that's_ what happens when he forgets."

Sora was quick to reach for the precious chain link. "Give it!" he cried, hopelessly extending his arms for it.

"Why do you want it?" he asked, genuinely curious as to why Sora would even care about someone he had no business remembering to begin with. "You can't even remember what this is."

"I need it," Sora said. "I need it if I ever want to connect everything one day!" The look on his face was no longer one of bitter anger, but one of hopeless desperation.

Axel chuckled a bit. "Is that what your so called 'master' told you?" He tossed the chain link to Sora, who caught it with the clasp of both hands. "You're never going to remember anything, Sora. It's as simple as that."

Sora abruptly thought back to his dream and found it increasingly difficult to continue to loathe Axel. He had just acted so genuinely before, and now he was acting like an entirely different person.

"How can you say that?" Sora asked, eyes fixed only upon the chain link in his open hand. "You aren't acting like yourself, Axel."

Axel appeared suddenly nervous, but he concealed it well. "What?" he asked.

Sora carefully put the chain link into his pocket and looked up at the tall Nobody. "I thought we were...friends."

This caught Axel off guard. It took him more than a few moments to respond. "...Ah, so you're beginning to _feel_ him. Looks like I couldn't protect them after all," he said, beginning to mumble.

Before Sora could ask more questions, a dark corridor appeared between them both. Out walked a hooded Nobody who walked so gracefully it resembled more of a glide than a walk. The graceful figure initially disregarded Sora and looked instead to Axel.

While facing Axel, the figure revealed himself to be a man with silky pink hair. He flipped his hair back. It was quite the fabulous entrance.

Sora was quick to recognize the man as Marluxia, the ruler of Castle Oblivion. He prepared himself for anything.

"Do you never tire of meddling, Axel?" Marluxia asked emotionlessly. "It seems to me that it's the only thing you're good at, whether it be in the real world, or in a dream."

Axelx acting instinctively, summoned his two chakrams in a fiery display. "Well hello to you too, Marluxia! It's been awhile, hasn't it? Remind me, how long has it been since Sora obliterated you in Castle Oblivion, again?" He smirked.

The man, Marluxia, made a sound of disgust. "I've no intentions to fight you," he stated blandly. "I know that my place in this dream is for the keyblade master to forget me. It's time your treacherous self learned your own place."

Sora watched them go back and forth. He grew restless.

"You think _I'm_ the traitor here, Marluxia? But wasn't it you who plotted to take over the entire organization?" Axel shot back.

"We would have succeeded if not for your meddling," Marluxia said bitterly.

"But you didn't."

"If we had, we wouldn't be standing here in Sora's dream debating it."

"But we are."

"Due to your incompetence."

"At least _I_ survived in the real world."

"That is irrelevant."

"Oh, I'd say it's _incredibly_ relevant."

" _That's enough_!" Sora exclaimed with a look of contempt. He held his keyblade up in battle position. He briefly looked at Axel. The previous, unexplained feeling of friendship faded completely. Axel was just as bad as Marluxia, and he was prepared to take them both down if it came down to that.

"Sora," Marluxia said with a mysterious grin as if he had finally decided to acknowledge his presence. "Tell me, do you really not see what Axel has been trying to do to you?"

Sora frowned a bit. He had no idea, but he wasn't about to ask the enemy to explain everything to him.

Marluxia sighed gently. "Oh, Sora, you fool," he said, shaking his head. "You can't be as dense as you seem, can you?"

"Shut up!" Sora exclaimed, huffing a bit underneath his breath.

Marluxia closed his eyes for a long moment for dramatic effect. "It's fairly obvious! Axel is trying to make it so that you can never wake up," he said, waving his hand a bit.

"Don't listen to him," Axel cut in. "You said it yourself, Sora: we're friends. You can't take Marluxia's word over mine."

"And there he goes again," Marluxia pointed out, almost amused. "He's manipulating you, Sora. Ask yourself why you're here and not with your dream guide, your 'keyblade master.' You can't wake up without someone to guide your heart to restoration. Axel tried tearing you apart from him, from Eraqus, to break the trust you have in him so that you'd have no one to guide you to your ultimate awakening."

Axel, who had grown irritated, threw both of his flaming chakrams, one after the other, at Marluxia. Marluxia, quick to react, jumped away. He floated back down to the ground with his arms extended and coat flowing. Within seconds, he held his long scythe and pointed it at him.

"Now, now," he said, addressing the redhead in a calm manner. "I already told you I had no intentions to fight you, Axel. I already told you why I'm here, but since you're so eager to battle, I suppose I have no choice but to fight, do I?"

Axel chuckled. "I suppose not," he said.

"So be it," Marluxia said. He looked briefly to Sora. "You'll just have to wait your turn, keyblade master." He turned back to Axel and swung his scythe.

Axel rapidly summoned his chakrams again to shield his face from the powerful swing. When both weapons collided, there were many flower petals and puffs of smoke in the air.

The two cloaked men fought intensely before Sora's big, blue eyes. They seemed to be equally matched the way the metal of their weapons continued to clash as they continued to block each other's attacks.

As he watched, Sora became overwhelmed.

Maybe Marluxia was right. Maybe Axel really _had_ been trying to make him distrust Eraqus. But why would Axel go through so much just to ensure that he never woke up? Did it have something to do with the dream he had? Something to do with Xion, whoever she was?

Then he asked himself the question he had been avoiding for so long.

Eraqus, before Sora had gone on his journey to collect the world cards, had said that he was "bound" to The Land of Departure. If Axel was right, and Eraqus really had left the world, what did that mean? Had Eraqus lied about not being able to leave the world? And if he had lied about that, could that have meant that he had lied about other things, too?

Could it have been even be remotely possible that Eraqus had betrayed him all along?

His heart began to ache just considering such a thing. He groaned a bit, and suddenly the world was spinning. He held a hand up to his head and stumbled back a bit as he watched his vision double and fog. Marluxia and Axel kept fighting, but they became distant background noise.

But even as it happened, Sora continued to tell himself that **everything would be okay.**

The next thing he knew, his keyblade slipped away from his hand and clattered on the ground, and he fell beside it.

* * *

When Sora opened his eyes, he saw the pale blue sky of the Land of Departure. He had woken up alone in the castle courtyard.

He sprang up from the ground in which he lay on his back, startled. How had he gotten there? The last thing he could remember was watching Axel and Marluxia battling. Then… It was a blur.

He could only think to search for Eraqus, for perhaps he had returned, or perhaps he had never left the world to begin with.

Sora checked the exterior of the castle first and determined that his master was not there. Then, he walked down the halls of the castle as if on an urgent quest repeatedly calling out to his master.

He was in the throne room when concluding that Eraqus's presence in the world was nonexistent.

With such a conclusion, Sora slumped down onto one of the thrones and glumly lost himself in thought. He rested a hand on his cheek and attempted to cheer himself up telling himself over and over that **everything would be okay**.

Naminé had told him that there would be complications, but that he would remember the person that was most important to him soon. With memories of her, his heart would feel the warmth of light again and **everything would be okay.**

And Eraqus would be back soon. Then his heart could be able to continue down its path to restoration. His heart would soon feel whole again and **everything would be okay.**

But the truth was that, in that moment that felt like an eternity, neither of them were there for him. He was all alone, confused and afraid, and he felt only the coldness of a fragmented heart.

And even he, the eternal optimist, couldn't find it in himself to continue to say that everything would be okay, because it just... it wouldn't be ** _. It couldn't._**


	7. His Heart

**Chapter 7: His Heart**

Eraqus's heart was strong. He was, after all, a keyblade master. His duty, both by nature and by title, was to protect the light of the worlds. Once upon a time, in an attempt to protect such light, he had been able to put his own feelings aside and raised his own keyblade against Ventus with the intent to eliminate him. He had done such a thing to prevent the forging of the χ-blade, the ancient weapon that could have disrupted the balance of the worlds, but at what cost?

He was a keyblade master, but when he had almost voluntarily killed his own student, he had allowed himself to forget that he was a father above all else. He had failed Ventus. How could Ventus know that and still choose him as Sora's guide?

When Eraqus first appeared in Sora's dream, he knew that his role was to guide him in the difficult process of memory restoration - nothing more, nothing less. He knew that his former pupil, Ventus, had some sort of connection to Sora, which was why he, someone Sora had never met before, was chosen as his dream guide. He knew that it was not Sora, but Ventus who had picked him for such a role. What he did not know was why. What reason did Ventus have for choosing him?

Since Eraqus's dream self was a direct extraction of Ventus's memories of the true Eraqus, it stood to reason that he knew only what the true Eraqus knew at the time Ventus last saw him. Therefore, after Terra stepped into the battle and sent Ventus away though a dark path, Eraqus did not remember what happened next because he did not _know_. He did not know what happened to Terra, Aqua, or Ventus or whether or not Xehanort was able to forge the χ-blade at all. He knew nothing, and the uncertainty was gradually consuming his heavy heart.

In the many weeks in which he spent time with Sora, it was becoming more and more impossible for Eraqus to leave the deep, unresolved pain in his heart unaddressed. He needed to know if his students had made it past Xehanort's wrath unharmed. If they hadn't, he would never be able to forgive himself for not being there to protect them.

So when the mysterious figure in black spoke to him of where he could possibly find Ventus, he could not help but to listen.

Eraqus recalled the man's words as he frantically opened a door that led to yet another white room. The room looked identical to the one he had been in before, and the one he been in before that, and before that, and before that. He grew weary. Would he ever find it?

" _You know the truth about Castle Oblivion, don't you? It's another version of the world we're in right now." The hooded man spoke to him with exaggerated hand gestures and all._

 _Eraqus hesitated to respond to such a man, for he sensed a great darkness within him. The man was surely a stray memory of Sora's. "That is correct," he said, speaking cautiously. "I must assume that, in the real world, I have met my demise and Master Aqua transformed the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion as I instructed her to."_

Eraqus continued to rush through the infinite hallways. The stress on his face was evident.

" _Well they don't call it Castle Oblivion for nothing! I turned that castle upside down and I_ still _couldn't find the chamber."_

" _Chamber?"_

Aqua had designed the world so that all who entered would be lost to oblivion. None would be able to find their way, except for her. But did that same rule apply to him, the one had who taught her how to transform the world to begin with? He was beginning to worry that it did because he had been searching for so long that he had already lost track of how much time had passed since he arrived.

" _Yeah. My boss sent me there to find it. He said some keyblade wielder was in there, in this chamber. Some kid named Ventus."_

 _Eraqus froze, and the man smirked beneath his hood._

The chamber, where was it?

" _Ventus...is…in Castle Oblivion?"_

" _Got it memorized?"_

Had Aqua made it so that he would be able to navigate through the castle? Or would he too be doomed to oblivion?

 _A pause. "But what is he doing in such a place?"_

 _A shrug._

He knew his role. It was to guide Sora.

 _Eraqus raised his voice in agony. "Is he alone?" He could not stand to picture him, the childish, happy boy, all alone._

 _The man was cryptic. "Most likely," he said, not bothering to elaborate._

Just when Eraqus was beginning to lose all hope, somehow, through all the searching, he was able to find it.

He ran up a final set of white stairs and faced a grand, locked door decorated with intricately designed chains and heart insignias.

 _Eraqus was silent._

" _You should go to him."_

 _A pause. "I cannot."_

" _Why's that?"_

" _My duty is, first and foremost, to Sora, and even if I was prepared to abandon such a duty, I am still bound to this world and cannot leave." He spoke as if he had been rehearsing the lines in his head over and over as if he was trying to convince himself to stay. His duty was to Sora. He could not leave him even if he wanted to._

 _The hooded man persisted. "Hey, but you said it yourself, didn't you? Castle Oblivion and the world we're in right now… They're the same. You wouldn't really be leaving the world if you went there, would you?"_

 _The master was speechless._

Summoning the keyblade, to a keyblade master such as himself, was as simple as thinking of it and it would appear. He had summoned his keyblade so many times in his life that it became almost as automatic as breathing to him. But when Eraqus attempted to summon it then, facing the door that surely led to the chamber, to _Ventus_ , he suddenly forgot how to make it appear out of the sheer nervousness. His open hand visibly trembled as it awaited the keyblade.

" _I cannot leave Sora," Eraqus said, shifting from one foot to the other. "I cannot risk leaving him and breaking his heart."_

" _Sora's heart won't shatter_ that _easily. You know that."_

" _I cannot risk it. His heart is in its greatest time of need. He needs someone to guide him at all times."_

" _...So you're choosing Sora over Ventus then?"_

 _The question brought pain to Eraqus's eyes._

Eraqus scolded himself and forced the keyblade to come. When it did, he aimed it steadily at the huge lock on the door, and a beam of light shot out from the end of it.

" _Think about it like this: who needs you more?" The man lost his patience._

The door unlocked.

" _I...have a duty to Sora. His heart is fragile and fragmented. I cannot_ leave _him!"_

" _Oh_ stop it _. You know as much as I do that Ventus is more important to you. Stop doing what you think is right and do what feels right in your heart for once."_

Eraqus stood at the open doorway, keyblade vanishing and eyes watering.

" _My heart is telling me that I must stay with Sora," Eraqus insisted._

" _Oh please."_

In the center of the empty room was a single throne. And on that throne sat Ventus, head lowered and eyes closed.

 _Eraqus was suspicious. "Why are you so insistent I leave Sora at all?"_

" _Ventus was a friend of mine. I'm_ worried _about him," said the man, almost sarcastically._

" _He would never befriend a creature that reeks so much of darkness," Eraqus snapped._

" _...Ouch." The man chuckled._

Ventus, at first glance, appeared to be merely sleeping. He looked to be having a pleasant dream, even.

Upon seeing him, Eraqus's heart pounded, and his knees suddenly felt so weak he could barely stand. He wanted to laugh and cry all at once, but in the end, all he could do was smile warmly and wipe away at the water forming in the corners of his eyes. He stood at the doorway, motionless, and watched the gentle rise and fall of Ventus's chest as he breathed. The Ventus before him, he _knew_ , was not the true Ventus just as he was not the true Eraqus, but that meant nothing to him.

" _Sora's got a big heart. He'll forgive you even if you do shatter his heart. No big deal, right?"_

 _Eraqus winced. He couldn't bring himself to do something like that to Sora, but how could he leave Ventus lost and alone in a world such as Castle Oblivion? He needed to ensure that, at the very least, one of his students was okay._

Realizing he had just been standing there like a fool, Eraqus walked slowly to the blond's side. He was afraid to touch him as if touching him would make him disappear.

"Ventus," he said, speaking quietly. "It is time...to wake up now." He knelt down in front of him.

" _Maybe if you go now, while Sora's asleep, he'll never have to know you left. Because just imagine if he_ did _find out where you were and_ why _you were there. If he were to ever find out that Ventus, the real Ventus, is actually_ in _Castle Oblivion, he would want to go look for him. But to do that, he would have to remember Castle Oblivion upon waking up, wouldn't he? And remind me, oh dutiful dream guide, doesn't he_ have _to_ forget _that world in order to wake up at all?"_

" _I will not tell Sora about Ventus then," Eraqus said, daring to raise his voice in the darkness of night._

 _The man rested a hand on his hip. Eraqus was a stubborn one, but he was too. "If you don't go to Ventus right now, I'll tell_ _Sora everything myself. I'll tell him where Ventus is, and I'll tell him that he can never forget Castle Oblivion if he wants to find him."_

Ventus did not respond to Eraqus's voice telling him to wake up. This did not concern the keyblade master initially, for Ventus had always been a deep sleeper. He smiled a bit and placed a hand on Ventus's shoulder.

"Ventus," he said, shaking him lightly.

" _Hey, I'm not a patient guy. I need you to choose already. I've got things to do, ice-cream to eat, friends to protect. Who's it gonna be? Ventus, or Sora?"_

When Ventus continued to sleep, Eraqus shook him more roughly. "Ventus," he said again, voice becoming frantic.

 _Eraqus, in a flash of bright, white light, wore his armor. He had made his decision._

"Ventus!" Eraqus exclaimed, gripping both of his shoulders tightly.

 _He left the world on his keyblade glider without saying another word to the hooded man. He did not want to leave Sora, but there was no other choice. If he didn't go to Ventus then, the man would have told Sora everything right then and there; he knew he would. He could tell it was more than a bluff. It was a threat. But could he trust the man to keep quiet about Ventus's location while he was away? He couldn't, really, but he had no other choice. Going to Ventus, to Castle Oblivion, was the only way he could have possibly saved them both._

Eraqus looked at the sleeping boy with a look of anguish. It was then when he realized what he should have upon first seeing him.

There was something missing.

A light.

A light was gone.

Where had it gone?

It was the light that was pure. A light completely devoid of darkness.

It was Ventus's heart. His heart was not there.

"No," Eraqus whispered, unable to believe it.

He shook his head over and over. It couldn't have been happening. Not to Ventus. Not to the boy he always felt so inclined to protect. Not the youngest, most vulnerable of his students. _Not Ventus._

Eraqus held the sleeping boy close.

Then the questions began to come. How could such a thing occur? Where was his heart? Why had Aqua left him alone in Castle Oblivion? Why hadn't she or Terra come back for him? Had something happened to them that prevented them from coming for him? He couldn't bear to imagine what could have happened to them.

In an attempt to deny what was true, he continued to tell Ventus to wake up already as if he had all along been playing a cruel joke on him.

"It is time to wake up now, Ventus," he forced out, voice cracking. "Please…"

When Ventus continued to sleep, Eraqus gradually let him go. He had accepted the truth.

He stared at him for some time before he got up from his knees and stood up straight.

There was nothing he, a mere memory in a dream, could do to save the sleeping boy. The only person who had a chance, while slim, was Sora.

But Eraqus would not ask that of him. He couldn't. It was just as the hooded man had said: Sora wouldn't think twice about wanting to save Ventus, and the only real way he'd be able to do that would be to _not_ forget Castle Oblivion.

Eraqus took a long look at Ventus.

He thought of the Ventus from his memories and smiled bitterly.

He recalled a time when Ventus had tried sneaking up on him. He heard him coming a mile away of course, but for Ventus's sake, he had pretended not to notice. He feigned surprise when Ventus had jumped out at him and merely smiled to himself when he heard Ventus gloat to Terra and Aqua about being able to successfully, singlehandedly terrify the master.

He recalled another time when Ventus told him, Terra, and Aqua that he loved them. They were all at the dinner table at the time and it had been very silent as they dined. Out of the blue Ventus went ahead and said it: four little words that surprised everyone. "I love you guys." Terra deemed Ventus "such a kid" and Aqua just laughed softly into her hand when he said it, but Eraqus? Eraqus took the words of affection to heart. He never was able to figure out where such a sudden display of affection came from - perhaps Ventus was just bored, or perhaps he just felt like sharing it - either way, Eraqus held the memory dear to him. It was the first time any of his students told him that they loved him.

He also thought of when Ventus had asked him about his past. The question hit him by surprise and he had refused to answer. He never liked talking about his past. But Ventus had insisted for days that he tell him anything. Eraqus, finally giving in, had told Ventus of his childhood friends, Xehanort and Yen Sid and how the three of them were inseparable until their friendship eventually faded. This made Ventus worry profoundly. What if, he reasoned, he too lost his best friends, friends he thought of as inseparable? But Eraqus somehow managed to persuade Ventus otherwise. He'd always have his friends in his heart, he told him. And Ventus had asked if he would have him in there too. Eraqus told him that he would have to decide that for himself.

And now, Ventus, the Ventus he had so many fond memories of, slept before him unable to wake up.

Eraqus didn't want to leave him all alone, but Sora needed him, and he did not know how long he had been gone. Had he been gone a single night, an entire day, or even longer than that? He couldn't tell.

He spoke softly to Ventus before taking his leave.

"I am sorry, Ventus," he said simply. "But I cannot stay… Please... _forgive me_."

A pause.

"Sora needs me," he continued quietly, no longer daring to look at him. "I cannot stay. You were the one to choose me as Sora's guide. Surely, you must understand."

Ventus was still.

Eraqus considered telling him that he would return for him in the real world, but how could he? He had already determined that the true Eraqus had not survived. There would be no way to ever see Ventus outside of the dream world.

Eraqus touched Ventus's shoulder lightly. "While we may not meet again, know that you will always be in my heart as I am in yours," he said with a hint of despair. It seemed as though he was attempting to stay strong for Ventus's sake. "I must be off now. Farewell, Ventus. I hope that one day...you will forgive me for all the harm I have brought upon you." His hand remained on the boy's shoulder for what felt like an eternity until he forced himself to take it away and walk back towards the door.

With one final, hopeless glance over his shoulder, Eraqus began to walk away.

Ventus's hand twitched slightly as if trying to reach out towards him, as if to plead for him to stay, but Eraqus was oblivious to such a plea, for he already had his back turned towards him. He continued to walk away until reaching the door. There, he sealed it. The large lock clicked into place, and Eraqus was almost certain that he would never see Ventus again.


	8. Where There's A Will

_AN: Late chapter! So sorry. Really. I could tell you why it's so late, but I'm almost certain no one really cares at this point (that, and there isn't really a reason. I'm just lazy!~). But hey! Don't mind me! Go and read the new chapter now! :D_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Where There's A Will**

Sora, who still sat on the throne, felt a sudden feeling of drowsiness sitting in that particular spot. He closed his eyes until he willed them to open again. As he did, he saw that the scenery had changed to a place of utter darkness. There was only a sliver of light coming from above, and he was falling through a seemingly endless ocean abyss.

He fell, almost leisurely, down through the endless abyss darkness, but he was far from frightened. He embraced the darkness, for in a way, it comforted him. He had felt this type of darkness before. He had been to this place many times in the past, always figuring that it was just a dream, but could it have been more than that?

When his big, yellow shoes gently touched the ground, the stained glass mosaic lit up in bright colors as hundreds of birds, in a cacophony of flapping wings, flew away. Sora stood back to observe the image he stood on.

It was an image of himself, and, as far as he could tell, the people most important to him. But the image was incomplete and cracked. There was a large gaping hole near the center of it, right where that girl he had forgotten should have been.

Seeing the cracks in the glass saddened him, but even so, he decided to go off and explore. It had been, after all, a while since he had been to that peculiar, stained glass world.

He walked forward past the circular mosaic and out into the darkness. As he stepped out into the void, a path made of more stained glass appeared beneath him. With every step he took, the path lit up as if to urge him to continue moving forward.

He went on until reaching the point of another stained glass mosaic of him and his friends. Like the previous one, it was broken. It was identical to the other one, only that time, it was a blue color scheme rather than a green one. Additionally, there was also a single door waiting for him in the center.

With a tilt of his head, he approached it. Before he could touch it, however, a voice spoke to him. It was the voice of a familiar stranger. The voice of someone he had met once - no, twice? - before, when he was younger.

" _I'm sorry, Sora."_

"What for?" Sora asked instinctively, without thinking to ask of the identity of the voice. He could faintly recall speaking to him once before, but even then he hadn't a clue as to who he was speaking to.

The voice wasn't making any sense. " _I didn't think taking him away from you would break your heart… I just...really missed him."_

The features on Sora's face softened at that. "You don't have to apologize," he said with a genuine smile, despite the fact that he had no idea as to who or what the voice was referring to.

" _But now your heart is broken."_

"I'll be okay," Sora assured, sounding and looking certain.

Silence.

Sora shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he thought of his previous encounter with the voice. The voice spoke to him before because it needed a place to rest. "Are you still sad?" he asked eventually.

The voice indirectly answered. " _...I'm still healing…"_ it said.

Sora considered his words. "That's okay!" he said. "You can stay in my heart for as long as you need to!" He looked satisfied with himself after saying it.

The voice trembled. " _Sora...I'm not_ in _your heart anymore…"_

Sora didn't know how to respond. He wasn't with him anymore? How then, were the two communicating? And why? Why had he left to begin with? "You...left?" Sora asked.

A short pause.

" _Sort of,"_ the voice offered, but while making no effort to further elaborate.

More silence.

" _Sora, there's something you should know about him."_

"About who?"

A long pause that time.

" _Our master."_

Sora stiffened. "Master Eraqus?" he asked. "He's your master too? That must mean… Are you...?"

" _I'm Ven. It's nice to meet you, Sora."_

"But what happened to you, Ven? Why is your heart the way it is now?"

" _That doesn't matter. I'm still not strong enough. I need to tell you something before I have to go back to sleep."_

"About Master Eraqus?"

" _...Yeah. I chose him to appear in your dream, but not for the reasons you think."_

"What do you mean?"

" _The Eraqus you see isn't just a memory, Sora... It's his soul."_

"His...soul?"

" _Yes. Before my heart left yours, I found his soul drifting around somewhere along the way. I figured that he had ceased to exist in the real world, which would explain why his soul was without his body. I was scared and didn't know what to do, so I used what little strength I had to send his soul in your direction. I figured that maybe you could help him, and at the same time he could help you. But I was selfish. I took him away from you when you needed him the most, when you forgot_ her _. I'm so sorry, Sora."_

Sora attempted to wrap his mind around what the voice had just explained.

"But, what?" Sora blurted out. "Are you saying that Master Eraqus is more than just a dream? Is he...real?"

" _It's his real soul, but his heart and body as I remember them. So…in a way he is, but at the same time, he isn't."_

"But why are you telling me this?"

" _I'm still scared,"_ Ventus admitted. " _It seems like too much to ask of you, but...I was wondering if you could find a way to save him."_

Sora was silent.

Ventus went on at frantic speed. " _It was mostly my fault that he had to die. I just… No. I don't want to burden you, Sora. Just focus on restoring your own heart. You don't have to keep helping me."_

"I'll save him," Sora finally said.

" _...Huh? Sora… I… You really want to keep helping me? Even after I broke your heart?"_

Sora smiled. "He's my master too," he reminded Ventus.

For the first time, Ventus sounded almost cheerful. " _Thank you,"_ he said simply.

"But how can I save him?"

Ventus admitted that he did not know. " _I'm not sure,"_ he said sullenly.

"Well, that's alright!" Sora piped. "I promise, Ven, that I'll find a way!"

" _Sora? Can you not tell Master about any of this? If you do...he might not let you even try. He'll just want to focus on restoring your heart and nothing else."_ A quiet chuckle. " _You know how he gets."_

Sora nodded. "I won't," he swore. "So, Ven, about you not being in my heart…" He crossed his arms in thought. "Where exactly did you go? And when did you leave? _Why_ did you leave? And...are you coming back? You can come back if you want to, you know."

When Ventus did not respond, Sora assumed that he had fallen back asleep. He did not worry, however, for he knew that, wherever he was, his voice at least sounded a bit less sad than it had long ago. That told him that he really was healing, and that was enough.

When Sora was certain that Ventus had gone, he reached for the door.

* * *

Elsewhere, far away from the land of sleep, three Nobodies sat on the edge of a clock tower watching the sunset. The view looked as it always did in the town of eternal twilight, and the atmosphere had been a bit tense. Nobody spoke.

Despite the tension, they seemed to be enjoying the sheer presence of each other's company. It was as if that was all they needed - each other and the sunset. That, and ice-cream, too of course.

They went on eating their light blue popsicles and watching the sunset until the Nobody who sat in between the other two, Roxas, suddenly felt a great ache in his chest.

He held up a hand to it. He hadn't a clue as to what it was. The hurt made it difficult to breathe. It was as if had been a sleeping pain that had abruptly awakened.

The girl sitting next to him, Xion, noticed the apparent look of distress on his face first.

"Hey," she said. "What's wrong?"

The question caused the other Nobody, the young man with the fiery red hair, Axel, to quickly turn his head away from the sunset and to the boy. He looked as concerned as Xion, if not more.

Roxas, who still had his hand positioned just over his chest, hesitated. Would his friends understand if he tried to explain the sensation? Perhaps they would. He took a chance and explained it to his them.

"It's just...there's this weird feeling in my chest. It hurts."

Xion kept looking concerned, but Axel merely laughed and shrugged it off.

"I think you just ate your ice-cream too fast, man," he hypothesized with a small smile. "The sensation should go away in a bit."

Roxas forced a grin. "Yeah," he said. He brought his hand back down.

And Xion, seeing that Roxas was alright after all, relaxed and lightly chided him for worrying her "out of nowhere like that."

"I _have_ seen you eat ice-cream really fast," Xion went on, laughing into her hand as she thought of the numerous times she had seen him gobble up his ice-cream inn under a minute.

The man agreed without a second thought. "That's true. I mean, I know you it's your favorite and all, but you should remember to slow down every now and then. Got it memorized?"

Roxas was defensive. "I don't eat it that fast," he said, looking offended.

Axel teased him. "The first step is acceptance, Roxas. Accept you have a problem."

" _I don't have a problem!"_

Axel scoffed gently before taking a bite out of his own ice-cream bar. "So the 500 munny you borrowed from me was spent on something other than ice-cream, then?"

Before he could respond, Xion, leaning forward to look at Axel, said, "He owes you ice-cream munny too, Axel?" She appeared startled.

It was silent as the trio processed what had just been discovered.

Then, almost simultaneously, their laughter filled the air. The previous tension had been instantly, if temporarily, lifted.

But Roxas remained unconvinced that it was nothing. The pain was far too intense for it to be _nothing_. Even so, he did not mention it again, for the sake of his friends.

Then, just as suddenly as the pain came, it left too. Maybe, Roxas thought as he swung his legs back and forth, it _was_ just the ice-cream after all.

* * *

Axel watched Sora from afar. He had been fast asleep on the throne with that stupid grin on his face.

The tall man sighed a bit. He had tried so hard to break Sora's heart, but even when it did break, Sora just didn't seem to mind.

Leaning against the wall, Axel crossed his arms and considered what else could be done to prevent Sora from ever waking up.

He scoffed. He had forgotten who he had been dealing with. It was Sora, the boy who could always find something to smile about, after all.

Axel took one last glance at Sora before turning away from him. He seemed like such a nice kid and all. In fact, if they had met when he was still a Somebody, they probably would have been good friends. He almost felt bad for hurting him.

But the reality was that Axel had no heart, so he couldn't feel remorse for his actions no matter how much he wanted to. He could break someone's heart without thinking twice. Yet, even though he had no heart, he still had a conscience. Sora wasn't the type of person who deserved to have his heart broken. He was just too good a person.

But Axel had no choice. His ultimate goal was to protect his friends. There would be no way to protect them if Sora woke up because deep inside, he _knew_. He _knew_ Roxas and Xion would have to disappear in order for Sora to wake up. He _knew_ they both had to go back to him. He just wouldn't let himself believe it.

He walked out of the room, arms still crossed and head slightly lowered. He thought.

Sora's dream guide, Eraqus, would be coming back soon. What then? He supposed he could continue to drive them further apart, but would Sora really let that happen?

Though naive, Sora was a pretty unpredictable kid. Axel had no idea what would happen once he and Eraqus reunited. Could he successfully drive them apart, or would his actions only bring them closer together?

Axel rubbed his temples. He was usually good at thinking things through, but the mess he had gotten himself in was just ridiculous. There were just too many outcomes, too much uncertainty.

He stayed like that for some time, lost in the deepest depths of thought, until Marluxia's voice snapped him out of it.

"Axel."

Axel looked at the graceful man with a bored stare. "You here to get your ass beat again, Marluxia?"

The pink haired man dramatically flipped his hair back and closed his eyes for a long moment. "Oh, spare me your petty remarks. I am here to fulfill my role. It seems as though you have _yet_ to realize that you're meant to be forgotten as I am."

Axel chuckled a bit. "You're confused," he said tauntingly. "You think I'm like you and the others, meant to become nothing but another chain link in Sora's growing pile. But the reality is that I'm not. Got it memorized?"

Marluxia opened his eyes in partial surprise. "Oh?" he asked in a monotone voice. "If not just a memory meant to be forgotten, what are you then?"

"But if I tell you, the suspense will die!" Axel exclaimed. He smirked. "Besides, I can't have you telling Sora anything, now can I?"

Marluxia remained unfazed. "Your meddling will get you turned into a dusk one day." He spoke blandly.

"It warms my _heart_ to know you care so much, Marluxia," Axel said sarcastically as he gestured towards his chest.

Marluxia made a sound of disgust as if burdened by Axel's sheer presence. "One thing I will not miss after being forgotten is your sorry attempt at humor."

Axel laughed lightly. "Well if it helps, I won't miss you at _all_ once you're gone for good!"

"I've nothing more to say to the likes of you," Marluxia spat, walking past the man.

"Hey, if you're looking for Sora, don't," Axel said, glancing over his shoulder to look at Marluxia. "He's sleeping. Poor kid must be exhausted. His heart broke today, you know. Gotta let him rest and all."

Marluxia was silent. He did not seem to care. "I suppose I'll have to return when his heart is strong enough to forget me," he finally said, with a sigh.

"I suppose so," Axel agreed with a shrug.

Without another word, Marluxia vanished into darkness.

When he was out of sight, Axel frowned. Forgetting Marluxia brought Sora one step closer to restoring his heart, so he had to prevent it for as long as he could.

He paced the courtyard for some time before seeing a stream of light fly in the sky. It took him only a second to recognize the light to be the return of Eraqus.

Axel decided then and there that it was his chance to further guilt the master for leaving Sora in the first place.

When the armored man landed a few feet in front of him, Axel greeted him with a brief, casual nod. "Hey," he said, waving his hand aloofly.

In a sudden flash of light, Eraqus's armor disappeared. He looked at Axel with piercing, angry eyes.

"You dare show yourself here?" he demanded, and his keyblade appeared in his hands.

Axel held up a hand to stop him. So much for the formalities! "Your absence broke Sora's heart," he said bluntly.

This caught Eraqus off guard. "I...beg your pardon?" he asked, stunned.

Axel shrugged as if it had been no big deal. "While you were away, Sora lost the person most important to him. It's kind of hard to cope with stuff like that when you're all alone, isn't it?"

His words seemed to bring pain to Eraqus. "You're lying," he said.

"Nah," Axel said. "His heart really is broken and it's kinda your fault. But relax: I kept my mouth shut about your whereabouts, just like I said I would. By the way, did you tell Ventus I said hi?"

Enraged, Eraqus swung his keyblade at Axel. "Enough!" he shouted as he did.

Axel was barely able to dodge the attack. He was surprised at his reaction, but nonetheless, amused. "You should stop worrying about me and go check up on Sora already," he suggested. "I'll tell you again in case you forgot: his _heart is broken._ Get a hold of yourself and go to him."

Eraqus was at a loss for words, but Axel was right. He wasted not a second longer and ran into the castle.

* * *

When Sora didn't immediately wake up, Eraqus couldn't help but to assume the worst.

He did as he did to Ventus - he shook the slumbering boy by the shoulder repeatedly calling out to him.

"Sora," Eraqus said, desperately. "It is time to wake up now."

Sora stirred a bit after some time. He mumbled something.

Eraqus almost jumped. What had he said?

"What was that, Sora?" Eraqus asked thinking perhaps that he had said something of monumental importance.

That time, Sora spoke clearly. "Five more minutes," he said sleepily. His eyes stayed closed, and he started getting comfortable in his chair.

At that, Eraqus began to laugh at himself for thinking even for a moment that Sora wouldn't wake up. He continued to try to wake him up, but in a more lighthearted fashion.

"Sora," Eraqus said again, crossing his arms. "Five minutes have passed." When in reality it had been a mere five seconds.

Sora's eyebrows went up in surprise as if he couldn't believe it, but the logic of a sleeping person is always lacking. He accepted the fact that he had been sleeping for an additional five minutes, and within seconds, he opened his eyes. Upon seeing that he had been speaking to Eraqus all along, he jumped up from his seat as if he had all the energy in the world.

"Master Eraqus!" He spoke ecstatically.

Eraqus brought his arms down to his side and smiled faintly. He hadn't anticipated Sora welcoming him back so quickly. Still, his eyes were filled with concern. While Sora seemed to be acting like himself, he could, in fact, sense his broken heart.

Sora was speechless. There were so many questions he had for him, but all he could do was beam with joy.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't come back," Sora admitted. He thought of Ventus. Had Eraqus gone to see him, somehow? "Hey! But where were you, anyway?"

Eraqus frowned a bit. He deliberately avoided the question. "Sora… What happened to your heart during my absence?"

Sora, tilting his head back a bit, thought about it. "I think I forgot someone really important," he began. "It's like…" He brought his hand to his heart. "...there's a hole in my heart now." He frowned momentarily, but then grinned once more. "But you're back now, and that's all that matters."

The old master lowered his gaze. "I am sorry for leaving you, Sora," he said, shamefully. "I should have been there for you when you lost her. And now, it is too late. The damage has been done. Your heart is broken and I am to blame."

"Hey, there's no need for that!" Sora insisted. "I know that you had your reasons for leaving, and you don't have to tell me what those reasons were if you don't want to. The only thing I don't get is why you had to lie to me about not being able to leave the world." He looked slightly pained when he brought it up.

At that, Eraqus looked straight at Sora. "I assure you that I have never lied to you, Sora," he said, almost as if he were offended to even be accused of such a thing. "The world I went to was still the Land of Departure; it was simply a different version of it."

It was unclear whether or not Sora believed him, but he let the subject drop. "I'm just glad you're back," he said softly.

Eraqus smiled tenderly. "You must rest," he instructed.

"But that's all I've been doing," Sora said. "All I do is sleep these days. Let me train!"

Eraqus lifted a hand to his chin and thoughtfully considered the request. "But your heart is broken," he said. "I do not wish to further strain it."

"I'll be fine," Sora said with a brief nod. "Come on!"

Eraqus blinked. Sora's seemingly endless optimism puzzled him at times. How was he able to remain acting like himself even with a broken heart? "So be it," he agreed. "I'll have you run laps around the castle and then you _must_ rest. Is that understood?"

" _O_ kay!" Sora said, victoriously pumping a fist into the air.

All the while, as the two chatted as if nothing was wrong, Axel watched in the shadows, arms crossed and all. Nothing was going according to plan.

He was beginning to feel as though nothing could be done to tear Sora and Eraqus apart. There could be nothing done to save his best friends.

Axel closed his eyes in thought. Images of Roxas and Xion flashed in his mind.

He would just have to give them up after all.

* * *

After running laps around the castle, Eraqus had Sora forget another world card. That time, it had been the Hollow Bastion card. Sora forgot such a card with ease, for he was, despite not wanting to believe it, getting better at forgetting upon will.

As Sora twiddled around with his new chain link, Eraqus spoke to him of his plans for the upcoming weeks regarding his heart and its restoration.

"We will continue to do as we have been doing thus far. That is, you will continue to forget everything that occurred in Castle Oblivion. This, as you may already know, includes the remaining revisits to the worlds, the people you met there, and the events that you witnessed. The only exception is your memory of Naminé which you will need until your heart is completely restored. After you have forgotten all that must be forgotten, you will need to _remember_ everything that must be remembered."

Sora, who had been sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees on the lowest step of the staircase, glanced up at Eraqus. "I don't remember everything from before Castle Oblivion?" he asked.

Eraqus shook his head. "Remember, Sora... In Castle Oblivion, for every memory you found, there was a memory you lost as well. You need the memories you lost in order to wake up. This includes your memory of the person most important to you. How you will regain such a memory is beyond me. It will be up to your friends in the outside world. Every other memory, however, should be fairly easy to remember."

"Will remembering be as hard as forgetting?" Sora asked quietly as he gazed longingly at the chain link in his hand.

Eraqus spoke gently. "No," he said. "I assure you that remembering is easier than forgetting."

Sora stored the chain link in his pocket. "Okay, and after remembering everything, what then?"

"Then you must forget Naminé, this dream, and myself. Then you will wake up as if you defeated Ansem just yesterday."

Sora hesitated. "But what will happen to you?"

Eraqus considered it. "You needn't worry about me. I am just a memory. I will, if anything, fade back to where I belong."

Sora looked nervous suddenly. "What if you weren't just a memory? What happens to you then?"

The master looked curiously at Sora. He seemed to be holding something back, but he couldn't figure out what.

"I assure you that I am only a memory, Sora," the man said, daring to chuckle bitterly.

"Let's just say that you weren't," Sora went on, standing and facing him. "What then?"

"I haven't a clue," Eraqus admitted honestly. He couldn't help but to wonder: what did Sora know that he didn't? "What are you implying?"

Sora shook his head. "It's nothing," he said, no longer daring to look at him. Sora was never a good liar.

* * *

Days passed. Eraqus had Sora forget only insignificant things from Castle Oblivion. He had him perform only the most basic of training exercises before instructing him to take the remainder of the day to rest. Forgetting anything or anyone too drastic would only further hurt his heart.

These slow days progressed into weeks. Axel and the other beings Sora had met in Castle Oblivion were nowhere to be seen. This initially concerned Eraqus, but he figured that it was better for Sora's fragile heart that way.

It was in these weeks when Sora dreamed, night after night, of that same clock tower and that same sunset. It felt more and more familiar every night, but at the same time, it felt more and more distant too.

He couldn't explain it. He tried to forget about the dreams and instead focused on figuring out a way to save Eraqus.

What would happen to his soul after the dream was over, after Sora had to forget who he was?

One day, when Eraqus least expected it, Sora asked, "Master Eraqus, what exactly _is_ a soul?"

That caught Eraqus off guard, but he responded regardless. "...The soul is one of three things that make a complete being, the other two being the heart and body," he said. ". I always let it slip my mind that you are a self taught keyblade wielder. The significance of these three things was among one of the first lessons I taught my students, and among one of the first that my master taught me." He cleared his _throat_ and explained. "The heart is responsible for a person's memories, emotions, and ambitions. It is made of both light and darkness with some exceptions. The body is a physical vessel for the heart and soul; it is a means to which the heart and its emotions can be physically expressed. The soul is the force that drives the body to survive. It is a person's mind, a person's _will_."

Sora thought deeply.

"Why the sudden interest, Sora?" Eraqus asked with a hint of suspicion.

"No reason," Sora said swiftly. "But what would happen to a soul without a heart or a body?"

"Perhaps it would just wither away. I do not know for sure if a soul can exist on its own." Eraqus said.

Day after day, Sora sought to find a way to save Eraqus, just as he promised Ventus he would.

But day after day, Sora only came to realize that he needed help in doing so.

In an attempt to find such help, he fell asleep every night thinking of Ventus, but only dreamed of sunsets. He considered asking Eraqus himself for assistance, but what Ventus had said before prevented him from doing so. He knew that Eraqus would prioritize the restoration of his heart above all else. He _knew._ Therefore, telling Eraqus of his quest would be pointless, for he would only encourage him to abandon it.

Sora didn't know what to do. _Was_ there anything that could be done?

It was a tremendous task. He knew that.

But through it all, through dreams of sunsets and endless days of heartache, he reminded himself of one thing. He reminded himself of it when he thought of his promise to Ventus, when he counted his chain links to ensure he hadn't lost any, and when he thought of his own, broken heart.

 _Where there's a will, there is always a way._

* * *

 _AN: See what I did there? With the chapter title and souls and wills and eheh... uh...sorry. Yeah hopefully this chapter answers some of the questions you guys had. The plot suddenly became a trillion times more complicated, but that's okay! But sorry if you don't understand. Ask anything you don't get, but know that the answer to most questions will be "everything is connected." Lol. Thanks for sticking with me this far. Love you. Every single one of you. Except you, Billy. Never Billy. (Just kidding, I love you too, Billy.) Xoxoxxoo  
_


	9. Fears and Lies

_Don't know why it took so long to write this chapter. Lots of school stuff, lack of motivation, I guess. Either way, I'm really sorry you all had to wait so long. Thanks for reading, as always. Please leave a review if you can and I'll try to update sooner next time. Have a lovely day._

 **Chapter 9: Fears and Lies**

Sora's heart was, as far as Eraqus was concerned, broken. Still, even with a broken heart, Sora remained true to who he was. This startled Eraqus.

Of course, it was a good thing that Sora was still himself, but it was, at the same time, alarming. Was Sora really so strong willed that even a broken heart couldn't bother him?

Eraqus offered Sora time to rest his heart, but the boy just wouldn't take it. He insisted the two continue as they always had, and so, despite his heavy concern, Eraqus continued having Sora forget.

In the first few days, everything went smoothly. The master had Sora forget the remaining world cards he and the forgotten replica had collected long ago. Sora proceeded to forget the many heartless he had battled within the castle walls. Everything, for some time, was as it was before. Then, however, something in Sora changed.

Sora said to Eraqus one day, "I can't forget anymore," and offered no further explanation. From then on, he quite simply refused to forget anything, everytime apologizing genuinely without being able to look at the master in the eye when he said it.

Eraqus initially thought little of Sora's abrupt defiance. He assumed that Sora was just overwhelmed and needed time to readjust himself. So it was on these days in which Eraqus had Sora train rather than forget. When these days progressed into weeks, however, his patience for his pupil wore thin.

"You still have much to forget, Sora," Eraqus reminded him staring at him with a fierce gaze.

"I know," Sora acknowledged. "But...I can't." He looked down at his big, yellow shoes when he said it.

"Perhaps you should forget someone you met at Castle Oblivion today," Eraqus suggested that day.

"Not today," Sora said softly. "Can we just train again?"

The master clung on desperately to what little patience he had left. "I know that this entire process can seem be, at times, too much for you to bear," he began. "But remember, Sora. You _must_."

Sora shook his head. "Not today," he said again, looking somewhat nervous.

"Sora." Eraqus spoke sternly. "You cannot allow yourself to continue to delay this. I have given you more than enough time to rest. Now it is time you continue to forget."

Sora took a pause to consider it. "No," he said bluntly. It was the first time he had ever flatly refused.

"No?" echoed Eraqus, attempting to remain calm, but he couldn't help but to raise his voice. "No you refuse to restore your own heart?"

"No, I won't do it today," Sora corrected, daring to look Eraqus with a rebellious stare.

" _Why_?" Eraqus finally croaked after staring back for a long moment.

It was the question that had been on Eraqus's mind since Sora had changed. Why was he refusing to forget all of a sudden? Why would he want his heart's restoration to take longer than it needed to?

Sora's answer was bold. "Because I need more time." He looked away.

"Time to do what?" Eraqus demanded. "Do you not understand that your heart is broken? That time is not on our side? As your guide and keyblade master, I demand to know why you are so intent on hurting your own heart even further than it already is!"

For a fleeting minute, it looked as if Sora was considering revealing everything to his master, but at the last second, he decided against it. "It's nothing," he said, unconvincingly.

"It is not 'nothing,'" Eraqus said as his arms crossed. "Tell me, Sora. What is on your mind? Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I made a promise to someone," Sora offered vaguely. "I need to figure how to keep that promise before I can restore my heart."

This only brought more questions to the master's mind. Who had he made a promise to? Additionally, what kind of promise would require him to hurt his own heart in the process of accomplishing it? When had he found the time to make a promise at all? Why did it need to be kept secret?

"What sort of promise?" Eraqus finally forced out.

Sora shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I can't tell you," he said.

"Whyever not?" The master was puzzled.

"...I just can't say."

"Do you not trust me?" His words were pained when he asked such a thing.

Sora's heart raced. He spoke defensively. "I do! I just-"

"I am here to assist you, Sora. In any and every way I am capable of," Eraqus said, cutting him off.

"But if I tell you-"

"What have you been keeping from me?"

Sora was silent.

As was Eraqus.

The two studied each other, neither of them moving or speaking. Both seemed to be lost in deep contemplation.

The air was tense.

Then, Sora spoke.

"Master Eraqus," he finally said in a serious tone. He had decided to, after all, tell Eraqus the truth. "I promised that I would find a way to save you."

Eraqus gave Sora that same, uncomfortable look he always did whenever the topic was even briefly mentioned. "Sora," he began, stroking his chin. "Haven't we been over this? I am only a memory that you are destined to forget. There is nothing for you to save."

"No!" Sora exclaimed, no longer able to keep it to himself. He spoke passionately. "You aren't just a memory. I see you the way Ventus remembers your heart and you body, but the soul you have right now is real. The reason you're safe in my dream is because your soul has a version of your heart and body to rest in. But when I wake up, it won't have that kind of protection. I need to find a way to save you before I have to forget you." He paused to study Eraqus's solemn face. He seemed upset, but he seemed to be listening carefully. "The more I forget," Sora continued, "the faster I wake up. I figured that if I stopped forgetting, I could buy myself some more time in the dream to figure out how to save you."

Eraqus processed it. He, gradually, grew angry. "You're putting finding a way to... _save me_ …before the restoration of your own heart?" he asked, for clarification.

Sora nodded.

"No," the master said, successfully causing Sora's heart to skip a beat with a single word. "I won't have you do such a thing. You are _not_ to put my soul before your heart, is that understood?"

Sora stiffened. "Master Eraqus," he began, only to be cut off.

"Saving a soul without a heart or body is nonsense and only faintly achievable," Eraqus went on. "Do not concern yourself over what happens to me."

"Master Eraqus!" Sora said again, and he raised his voice to the same level Eraqus spoke in.

"That is enough," Eraqus said. "We will focus on saving your heart and nothing more."

Sora took a small sigh of frustration. Ventus had warned him of this, of the way Eraqus would react, but Sora saw no other way to come up with a plan. He knew little to nothing about the soul by himself and therefore needed assistance, even if that assistance came from the person he was trying to save.

"I can't just do nothing!" Sora exclaimed. "There _has_ to be a way to save you. Please, Master Eraqus. I know you know a way."

Eraqus spoke bitterly, at a dangerously low voice. "Enough, Sora. I will not have anymore of this talk of saving me. It's pointless to even attempt. You are here to restore your heart and nothing more. There is no time to waste."

"Why can't I restore my heart _and_ save your soul?" Sora demanded.

"Why are you so intent on saving my soul to begin with? What do you hope to achieve?"

Sora spoke softly. "I just want to help you."

"As am I, attempting to help you!"

"We can help each other!"

"...Sora. I want you to forget something for me right now."

"What?"

"Forget the promise you made to save my soul. This way, you will be able to continue to restore your heart without realizing that I am more than just a memory."

Sora wouldn't even consider it. "No," he said bravely.

"I beg your pardon?"

"No, I won't forget making that promise," Sora said firmly. "Look, Master. If you just _tell_ me how to save you, I'll start forgetting everything you tell me to again. But before then, I won't forget anything."

"Do not be rash."

"I'm not being rash! Friends are supposed to help each other. They're supposed to do whatever it takes to make sure they're okay."

Eraqus gasped a bit. Had Sora...referred to him as a...friend?

No. That was never what was intended.

In fact, growing attached to Sora was something Eraqus had avoided all along. He had taken so many precautions to avoid it from happening. He had congratulated Sora only with "well done" instead of telling him, "great job". He told Sora to "rest well" every night when he could have said "goodnight." He could have laughed at his jokes, but he hadn't. He could have told Sora how much he had grown to love him, but he never did _._ He had, all along, made the effort to remain distant for Sora's sake.

The master had attempted to be cold and distant since the very start for this reason, but that obviously wasn't the case. Sora had found a way past the walls Eraqus had put up, and in turn, Eraqus had foolishly grown attached to Sora. Was the fondness he had for him inevitable from the start? Perhaps it was, being that it seemed nearly impossible to even remotely dislike a person like Sora.

But when had it happened? When had their relationship changed from an acquaintanceship to a friendship? Eraqus searched his memories in hopes of determining the exact moment it happened. Was it when the two spoke underneath the sea of stars? Or perhaps it was before that, when Eraqus tasked Sora with the Wild, Wild Goose Chase Challenge. Or maybe-

No, Eraqus decided. Friendships develop at a gradual rate. Therefore, it stood to reason that Sora had considered him a friend for, assumingly, some time now. But did Eraqus feel the same?

He saw Sora as his student, but as his friend? The thought had never even crossed his mind until then. He had certainly never seen his other students as friends - he saw them as his children, if anything.

Still, he could not see Sora as a son. Could it have been possible that they really were friends?

Even if they were, Eraqus could not allow Sora to think it, for their friendship would only further complicate things. He and Sora were never meant to be friends. Their friendship would only make it more difficult for Sora to, in the very end, forget him. He would have to hurt Sora then just to prevent a more intense pain later on.

Eraqus searched Sora's sky blue eyes with a look of confliction. They were just so full of hope, full of determination.

The master turned away.

"Sora," he said, doing his best to speak in a relatively emotionless tone even though it killed him inside to hurt the boy. He took a pause as Sora waited for him to speak.

Perhaps, he thought, there was another way, but he could think of nothing. Sora needed to genuinely believe that Eraqus was not his friend, and it needed to be said then and only then. It was the only way.

Eraqus spoke impassively, though it hurt him more than he would dare show.

"I am your master, Sora, not your friend. I can and will never be both."

The man then took his swift leave, not once looking back to see the utmost sorrow on his pupil's face.

* * *

Sora and Eraqus, though different in a variety of ways, shared one common fault: they were both stubborn.

For the remainder of that day, neither of the two spoke to one another despite wanting to.

Eraqus, who had retreated to the throne room, thought of their argument. Of what Sora had told him about his soul. Of what he had last said to him. With despair, he buried his face in his hands. He hoped that he hadn't hurt Sora too much with what he said. He was tempted to find him and apologize for everything, but he decided it was best for Sora to come to him first once he had the time to process everything.

Sora stayed outside in the courtyard. No one had ever openly denied his friendship like that before, and he hadn't a clue of what to make of it. He thought and thought until he could take no more thinking. He used the remainder of the day to continue to train on his own. For his own training exercise, he dreamt up heartless to fight and pass the time. All the while, as he fought the heartless, Eraqus's final words to him wouldn't leave his head. He couldn't stand the idea of being left on bad terms with him, but he didn't want to be the one to approach Eraqus first.

And so the rest of the day passed without the two exchanging another word. Sora, who was exhausted in every way imaginable, proceeded to his room where he fell fast asleep effortlessly.

Eraqus eventually passed by his room to check up on him. He watched him, fast asleep, for a brief moment with tired eyes. He then took his leave thinking that perhaps everything would resolve itself the next day.

The day that followed, however, was no different than the day before. Sora went off to fight heartless in the courtyard while Eraqus remained roaming the empty castle halls. Neither of the two spoke. When night came, Sora had again fallen fast asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

Eraqus did as he had the night before and passed by his room to ensure he was asleep and well.

How long would the cycle continue, he wondered?

The next morning when Sora made his trip to the courtyard outside, he felt lightheaded all of a sudden. Despite stumbling when he walked, he tried to ignore the sensation and figured it to be the result of too much sleep. He dreamed up a relatively easy opponent for himself: a white mushroom.

The gentle heartless began its games of charades by fanning itself in an exaggerated manner.

Sora, who found it incredibly difficult to focus, missed his chance to cast blizzaga on the mushroom.

The mushroom stopped fanning itself and wandered around the area. Sora trailed close behind, this time forcing all of his concentration on the thing.

The mushroom eventually halted and began to spin uncontrollably. The abrupt spinning only made Sora's headache worsen. He groaned lightly and again missed his chance to cast the correct magic, for the mushroom had already stopped.

He held a hand to his head and once again, tried to ignore the feeling of dizziness. He stared at the mushroom with absolute focus. All he needed was to cast the correct spell that corresponded with its charade three times. Then, he would be able to call it a day and go back to sleep. That way, he'd also be able to win a prize, and white mushrooms always gave the best prizes.

The mushroom looked side to side as if it were confused. Then, it went on to perform its next act. It tumbled to the ground with a small thud.

Sora, who knew all of the tricks to beating this heartless already, cast a swift cura and it leapt with joy.

The mushroom then began to shiver.

"Fire!" Sora exclaimed as he shot a fireball at it.

The mushroom, once more, cheered.

It wandered around with Sora again trailing close behind. Stopping suddenly, it proceeded to fan itself.

But before Sora was even able to make the mental switch from fire to blizzard magic, a fast flying fireball came whizzing by from seemingly nowhere. It flew past Sora and hit the poor mushroom smack in the forehead.

The once serene creature threw a tantrum and stomped on the ground various times before ultimately spinning around once and disappearing.

Sora, unable to process what had just happened, could only stare forward at the empty space the heartless once stood in. He hadn't even been able to get his prize.

Slow footsteps approached him from the shadows before him. "You should've seen the look on your face when I ruined your little game," remarked the tall, cloaked man with the teardrop shaped tattoos.

"Axel," Sora said, blankly.

"Hey, it's been awhile since you thought of me. I figure that now that you finally dreamt me up, that means you're ready to forget me now?"

Sora took a step back. "No, I can't forget you. I can't forget anything."

Axel stopped where he was. "Oh?" he asked. "But if you didn't dream me up to forget me, why am I here then?" His tone changed in a flash of a second from playful to suspicious.

"I didn't even realize I was thinking of you," Sora retorted, cringing every now and then at the pain in his head.

Axel crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow.

Sora's expression softened. "Maybe...I just wanted someone to talk to. And you…"

"I _what?"_

Sora shook his head. "I don't know."

Axel came closer to the boy who no longer made an effort to back away. He studied him closely.

"Ah," he finally said impassively. "I get it now. You're starting to realize that you've been lying this whole time."

"What do you mean by that?"

Axel rested a hand on his hip. "Don't you get it, Sora? Your heart's been broken all along and you've been lying to yourself about it. You pretended like everything was okay when it wasn't. And now you're starting to come to terms with it."

"W-What?" Sora stuttered, alarmed. "How can you tell?"

Axel shrugged. "You look like a mess," he answered honestly.

Sora refused to believe it. "But it isn't my heart that hurts," he protested. "It's my head."

Axel chuckled a bit. "Sora, Sora! That's just another way you're trying to lie to yourself! Think about it. Really _think_ about it. What hurts?"

Sora closed his eyes and focused on the pain in his head. "My head," he answered.

"No, you're still lying to yourself. You _want_ to think that the pain is all in your head when it's not," Axel went on with a hint of irritation. "Think harder. Where does it hurt, Sora?"

Sora closed his eyes tighter as if doing so would make him think harder. He thought of the light headedness. Of Eraqus, whose soul he had yet to save. Of Ventus, who had left from his heart. Of Riku, who he had last seen behind the Door to Darkness. Of the emptiness in his heart where someone he had forgotten belonged. Of Naminé, who he would have to forget just like everyone and everything else. The throbbing pain in…

"...my heart."

He opened his eyes. It was as if, as soon as he let go of his lie, and soon as it melted away, the intense pain transferred from his head to his heart. It was then, when he could truly accept it, that he could feel what a broken heart really felt like.

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Yeah," he said, turning away. "Look… I'm sorry," finally giving in to his conscience.

"Sorry...for what?" Sora asked. His voice was empty.

"It's my fault your heart broke." He shook his head, looking to be disappointed with himself.

Sora held a hand to his chest and winced. "I don't get it," he said, laughing for a moment to further avoid the pain. "Ventus said it was because of...him."

Axel, looking startled at the mere mention of the name, stared at Sora. "You talked to him?"

Sora nodded. "For a little while. He said he was sorry...for taking Master Eraqus away from me. But...he also said he left my heart. I don't get it."

The man mused. His narrow eyes widened a bit.

"What?" Sora asked when he noticed the change in his expression.

"Sora, do you want to know why you couldn't forget me when you first tried to?" He spoke almost kindly.

"Why?"

"I'm not only made up of your memories of me. I don't know how, but some of someone _else's_ memories of me found their way into you too. And since that person has Ventus's heart with them, you see me the way Ventus remembers me, by default, too. It all makes sense, if you really think about it. You couldn't forget me because your heart couldn't tell which _part_ to forget."

Sora stared at him as if he were speaking in another language. " _Huh!?"_ he asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Don't hurt yourself, kid." Axel laughed lightly.

"Hey!"

"But I digress. Sora… Stop hurting yourself. You refusing to forget what happened at Castle Oblivion is only bringing more pain to your heart. Those memories are only weighing you down. Forget them. Now's a good chance to start. Forget _me_. The Axel that _you_ remember."

Sora refused. "No. I need...more time."

Axel was curious. "Time to do what?"

Sora took a deep breath and, just like that, began to lie to himself about the pain. He denied it was ever even there and acted as he usually would have. He managed a smile. "I promised Ventus that I would save Master Eraqus, but I need time to figure out how."

Axel noticed the transition, but he did not address it. He scoffed quietly. "Even with all the time in the world you'd never be able to find a way to save a _memory_."

Sora was calm, despite having had explained the whole ordeal once before. "He isn't just a memory. The Master Eraqus in my dream… His soul is real."

Axel remained unimpressed. "You don't even really know the guy. Sure, you really know a _part_ of him, but is that really enough to hurt yourself over?"

Sora nodded. "Well…he's my master. _And_ he's my friend too," he said, without a doubt in his mind, despite what Eraqus had claimed before.

Axel sighed lightly. "If you ask me, you should just stop playing hero and worry about yourself for once. But, hey, what do I know?" He opened up a dark corridor with a lazy wave of the hand.

Sora tilted his head to the side. Weren't they having a conversation? "Where are you going?"

Axel shrugged. "I don't know. Away, I guess. Don't worry about me. You'll see me again when you need to forget me." He smirked once before entering the corridor and vanishing from sight.

* * *

As if by some odd coincidence, (or perhaps a stronger, unseen force?) Eraqus decided to finally speak with Sora in the exact moment Sora thought to do the same with Eraqus.

Sora proceeded to enter the castle just as Eraqus proceeded to exit it. They met up halfway there, by the grand staircase.

Eraqus attempted to speak first, fed up with remorse. "Sora, I did not mean to say what I did before-"

But simultaneously, Sora too tried to apologize.

"Master Eraqus, I'm sorry I wouldn't forget anything-"

They both stopped once realizing they were both talking over each other. Eraqus patiently gestured for Sora to go first.

"I'm sorry, Master Eraqus," Sora said simply.

"You've nothing to apologize for, Sora," Eraqus said with a stern voice. "It is I who should apologize. I should not have allowed my fears of being saved cloud my judgement. I should not have raised my voice with you. Forgive me."

"No, that's alright," Sora insisted. "I shouldn't have yelled either…" He became thoughtful. "But why would you be afraid of being saved?"

Eraqus closed his eyes. "I suppose I was terrified of finding out what became of the worlds and my students due to my absence. Or perhaps I just believed I didn't deserve a second chance at all."

Sora rested his hands behind his head and grinned. "Does that mean that you're not afraid anymore?"

Eraqus's eyes flickered open. "I suppose not." He smiled lightly.

"So you'll tell me how I can save you then?" Sora asked with a great deal of excitement.

The master crossed his arms and considered the request. "I have only read tales of saving souls. I never thought the concept to be plausible." He thought for a long moment. "Assuming that the heart and body are gone… I would say that your best chance would be to contain the soul in something that can take the place of both the heart and the body at once."

"What do you mean?"

"It would have to be something physical to take the place of the body," Eraqus elaborated, "but at the same time, that physical object has to be, in some way, shape, or form, like a heart. Perhaps the object should be something of great meaning, something both tangible and with immense sentimenal value."

Sora appeared lost. "But where would I find something like that?"

"I do not know. I assure you, Sora, what I've told you now is as far as I can help. The rest, if you're up to it, is up to you alone."

Sora nodded eagerly. "I'll find a way," he said without thinking twice.

Eraqus smiled warmly. "But do not forget, Sora. Your top priority is not my soul; it is your heart."

"Fair enough," Sora agreed with a laugh. "Oh! That reminds me. I need to start forgetting again, don't I?" His voice turned sheepish.

Eraqus walked down the stairs as he spoke. "That is correct. Do you wish to begin now or would you like to train first?"

Sora followed close behind. "Well I do have a lot to forget, don't I?"

* * *

After forgetting the remaining interior of Castle Oblivion, Eraqus called it a day without a training session seeing as how tired Sora appeared. They mutually agreed that the days to come would be the most harsh in terms of forgetting. That meant having to forget the people in the black coats, Castle Oblivion itself, and Naminé.

With this in mind, together they walked back to Sora's bedroom. Sora, in an attempt to lighten the mood, told Eraqus the story about the time he successfully touched a moogle's pom pom.

"...and now I know to never touch a moogle's pom pom ever again," he concluded.

"I never imagined the little creatures to have such a colorful vocabulary."

"Yeah, neither did I."

They entered his room.

For some time the two spoke more of their past experiences with moogles and their laughter filled the air. Eventually, Sora yawned. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Master Eraqus," he said as he sat down on his bed and stretched his arms.

The master nodded and turned away.

As he walked away, Sora called out a brief, "Goodnight."

And in return, before taking his leave, the master responded with a hesitant, but courageous, "Goodnight, Sora."


	10. Two Types of Pain

**Chapter 10: Two Types of Pain**

" _So you finally thought to think of me, huh you little twerp?"_

"Show yourself, Larxene!" Sora yelled back, scanning the perimeter with a sharp gaze.

The old master, standing beside his furious student, attempted to relax him. "Sora, be calm."

 _The voice was bitter. "Who's this? Finally ditched the king's losers in exchange for a personal babysitter?"_

Sora, not knowing where to glare as he could not see her, just narrowed his eyes and stared forward. "Shut up!"

The master spoke slowly as if to ensure the distracted Sora absorbed everything he said. "Do not allow her to upset you so. Take a deep breath and attempt to dream of her standing before you, and she will appear."

 _A laugh. Or rather, a cackle. "What's the matter, Sora? You can only remember my voice? Hearing that just breaks my_ heart _!"_

Sora did as his master instructed. He ignored the taunting, malicious voice, took a deep breath, and searched for a clearer memory of the woman in the black coat. Out of everyone he met in Castle Oblivion, Larxene was always his least favorite. He didn't forget her yet, but he wished he could get on with it already. She was one memory he was just fine without. Perhaps, he figured, that was why he could initially only remember her voice: he simply had no interest in remembering her at all, so he remembered as little of her as he could without even realizing it.

After thinking carefully about it, he remembered her gloved hands first, of all things, for he feared her hands the most. She always held throwing knives in nearly every memory Sora could think of, but it was never the knives that frightened him; rather, it was the hands. Her hands were quick, as quick as lightning.

Sora winced. He, without even realizing it, rubbed an arm Larxene mercilessly scarred in one of their previous clashes.

Thankfully, Donald was a proficient mage who, while unable to remove scars, was always able to ease the pain. Sure, sometimes Donald was a little late and cured Sora a frustrating _two seconds_ after he literally just cured _himself_ , but still, he was always there, always screaming, "Sora!" while waving his staff.

Sora smiled to himself. What would he be without Donald? His mind then began to wander off into memories of Goofy too. Goofy was the glue that held them all together. Without Goofy, Donald and Sora probably wouldn't have gotten out of Deep Jungle that one time. Sure, Goofy was pretty, well, _goofy_ most of the time, but that was just in his nature. Goofy wasn't a mage like Donald, but he, with the power of his genuine, thoughtful words, helped Sora ease emotional pain, which was just as important as easing the physical.

He pictured them both with their silly hats and even sillier smiles and couldn't help but to feel a little better. He wondered what would become of his two, dear friends after they all went their separate ways, after they found their king and he found Riku.

Without giving himself time to think about it, he mentally scolded himself. He was straying away from what he should have been thinking of: Larxene. Thoughts of Donald and Goofy would have to come later, no matter how much he preferred to think of them instead of her.

He thought of her eyes. Narrow, a vivid, piercing green. Really, he only looked into her eyes once and avoided eye contact after that, for some part of him compared looking into her eyes with looking into the eyes of Medusa.

 _Larxene's lone voice became impatient._ " _How long does it take you for your hollow little head to remember me? I don't have all day. Hurry, hurry, Sora."_

Eraqus placed his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Pay her no attention," he insisted softly. "Take as much time as you need."

 _A scoff._

Sora gave Eraqus a nod and continued to try and force the memory of her to appear before him.

He recalled what she looked like when she laughed at him all those many times. When she taunted him. When she called him a wannabe hero. She genuinely enjoyed causing him pain. She saw it all as a game. She saw him as a toy.

His eyes opened quickly and he immediately glared at the blonde woman now standing before him.

She held her knives close as if prepared both for the defensive and offensive at once. Faint lightning bolts sparked on the tips of her knives, and a smirk formed across her face. Even so, while she seemed somewhat excited to fight, to play her little game, she appeared to be absolutely furious about something. Perhaps, Sora figured, she was bitter from being annihilated in Castle Oblivion.

Eraqus nodded in approval when she appeared. He took a step back. "To forget her or any other person you met," he said, "the memory of that person must allow itself to be forgotten. In this case, since simply asking her is out of the question, you must defeat her. Do you understand, Sora?"

Sora never stopped glaring at Larxene when he answered a quick and urgent, "Yeah!"

Larxene shot an unimpressed glance at Eraqus before looking back to Sora to further mock him. " _He's_ the one that's supposed to be protecting you? No _wonder_ your heart is in pieces!" She laughed cruelly.

Sora, with a huff, summoned his keyblade. "That's enough!" he exclaimed. He pointed his weapon at her.

She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. "You really think I'm afraid of you?"

"If I beat you once I can do it again," Sora said boldly.

Sora's remark ignited something within Larxene. She, much to Sora's surprise, kicked his keyblade out of his hands and proceeded to slash at him with her knives.

In desperation, Sora dodge rolled away from Larxene. He sprinted towards his fallen keyblade that sat on the other side of the battlefield.

Eraqus moved away and watched the battle unfold on the sidelines. Sora needed to be the one to defeat Larxene, but he was ready to intervene if he deemed necessary. There was a stern expression on his face. He stroked his beard every so often.

Once Sora got to his keyblade, he was able to use it to shove the Savage Nymph, who hastily pursued him, back to give him enough time to readjust. She stumbled slightly, but continued to follow him. All the while, she never showed signs of slowing down. Throughout the entirety of the battle she moved with the same, lightning quick speed and agility.

Sora blocked, jumped away, and dodged, but he rarely found a chance to attack her himself. He grew tired and frustrated.

Larxene noticed Sora's gradual, diminishing energy and so, as she shot a dozen lightning bolts at him, she said, "Are you ready to give up and go cry to your babysitter yet?"

Sora moved from side to side to avoid being hit by the lightning. "In your dreams, Larxene!"

She momentarily stopped everything just to say, "No, in _your_ dreams, idiot." She appeared to be amused with her own ironic remark.

Sora used the two second delay as his chance to strike. He stood too far for a regular, close combat attack, so he resorted to using strike raid. With great force he tossed the keyblade at her and struck her head. She looked surprised to be hit at first. When the keyblade came flying back, it hit her once more, this time in the back of the head. That time, she called Sora a twerp. The keyblade returned to Sora's open hand.

She dashed towards him, and once at close enough distance, attacked. Her hands, just as Sora remembered them, moved as fast as lightning. He couldn't keep up.

Eraqus, who was still watching from afar, called out to his pupil. "Sora! Recall her weaknesses and use them to your advantage!"

Sora, daring to look away from Larxene for a moment, looked to his master. He considered it. He searched his memories for her weaknesses and recalled that, just as he used strike raid before, he defeated her before using mostly long distance attacks.

In an attempt to distance himself from her as far as possible, he glided far back. He waited for her to come close enough to hit her, but far enough to avoid her knives. Much to his confusion, however, she did not come after him at all.

Instead, she appeared out of thin air behind Eraqus holding an electrified knife to his throat.

Eraqus did not even flinch at her abrupt presence. Instead, he merely closed his eyes as if he were annoyed.

"Get away from him!" Sora yelled. He tried to run to them, but when he did, Larxene only pushed the knife closer. Sora was forced to stay where he was. He thought of attacking Larxene from where he stood, but decided against it once realizing that one wrong move would hurt his friend instead.

"Do not test me," Eraqus threatened, never opening his eyes. "This battle is not mine to be fought; it is Sora's."

"Sora's so broken that he's _boring_ now," Larxene teased. "I'd rather fight the supposedly all powerful, true Keyblade _M_ _aster_!"

"I would advise against it," Eraqus said rationally.

Larxene giggled sourly. "You're just afraid to lose, aren't you, old man?"

Eraqus stiffened. "Think what you wish, but know that I will, under no circumstances, be involved in your defeat, for that is solely Sora's responsibility."

"Come back here and fight!" Sora yelled out in an attempt to lure Larxene away from Eraqus, but his attempts fell to deaf ears.

"Ugh, you're just as boring as the wannabe hero," Larxene said to Eraqus, sounding disappointed. "I guess they'll call anyone with a keyblade a Master these days." She nudged the cold knife close enough to touch his soft flesh. She laughed a bit and looked to Sora. "Hey, did you hear that, Sora? Anyone - even someone as pathetic as _you_ \- can become a Keyblade Master! Not that it'll make you any less of a weakling or do you any good, but maybe after you become a Master, you'll _finally_ be better at something than _Riku_!"

At that, Sora's glare intensified. "Shut up!" he demanded.

Once Larxene taunted the title of keyblade master, Eraqus's expression abruptly changed. It was no longer frustrated, but rather, just... _angry_. Still, he remained ever patient and spoke in a frighteningly calm voice. "The title is something that has been around for generations. It implies true strength of heart, even in the hardest of trials. It is not something to openly _mock_ ," he said.

Larxene smiled a bit. She continued to push him in hopes of making him snap. "What, you think Sora can't be a Master too? I don't see why not. He certainly meets the qualifications of being a complete wimp with an oversized key."

"That is enough," Eraqus said, and his eyes opened to reveal deep contempt. "Being a Keyblade Master is so much more than simply wielding a keyblade!"

Sora's anger diminished once he saw what Larxene was doing. "Don't listen to her, Master Eraqus!" he advised.

"Well what else is there?" Larxene went on, completely disregarding Sora. "The way I see it, the title of Keyblade Master is a joke. Just, like, _you_ ~."

Eraqus, in a fraction of a second, summoned Master Keeper, slapped Larxene's hand away with its blade, spun around, and pointed it at her. "I've nothing more to say to the likes of you," he said sharply. He was on the verge of snapping, just as Larxene intended.

Larxene, in response, appeared pleased to anger him so. "Aw, did I offend you? Oh, whatever will you do now?" She held a melodramatic hand to her forehead and feigned horror.

Sora took the opportunity to make his way over to the two. He, as Eraqus did, looked ready to fight, but before addressing Larxene, he glanced over at his fuming friend. "Master Eraqus, what should we do?" he asked.

"I originally wished for you to defeat Larxene without my assistance," he said, "but it seems as though I am left with no other choice but to interfere."

Larxene gasped sarcastically. "But that's no fair!" she exclaimed. "Two against one? That just won't _do!_ "

Sora, realizing what she planned to do, tried to warn Eraqus to watch out. Before he could, Larxene already created clones of herself. Now, there were five Larxene clones surrounding them. Six Larxenes in total.

Eraqus did not expect such a move on her part, but he concealed his surprise well enough for it to be undetected. He merely grunted.

Sora thought of his battles with Larxene in Castle Oblivion. How did he forget having to fight not just one, but multiple versions of her at once? He glared at the main Larxene, who still stood pretending to cower in fear before the end of Eraqus's keyblade. "Two against six isn't fair either, Larxene!" Sora accused, gripping his keyblade tightly.

At this, the circle of Larxenes laughed. The real Larxene just smiled. "Did you forget, Sora?" Her voice became dark. "Bad guys don't play fair."

As if on cue, the clones rushed forward and began slashing at both Eraqus and Sora; this caused the original Larxene to escape and instead come charging at Sora from behind in a bolt of lightning.

Eraqus was able to see her before she got to Sora. He released a powerful surge of light magic at her. The clash of the two types of magic - light and thunder - created a bright explosion that sent her and a clone flying back.

"Master Eraqus!" Sora exclaimed amidst all the chaos of metal clashing and sparks flying.

"Yes?" called back Eraqus as he swiftly countered one of the clone's aerial attack.

"We have to merge them into one," Sora said with an urgent nod as he remembered as he did before in Castle Oblivion. "Just do what I do!" And in an instant he grabbed a clone by the sleeve and hurled her to the original Larxene.

Both Larxenes yelled out in surprise upon merging together. The Larxene that was left behind huffed once and tucked a strand of hair that came out of place back behind her ear. She came charging towards Sora who now avoided her attacks while simultaneously battling a clone.

Eraqus, without stopping to think about about the strange turn the battle suddenly took, did as Sora demonstrated. He hurled a clone in Larxene's direction, but that time the original saw it coming and sent the clone hurling right back. The clone stayed suspended in the air for a moment as she charged her thunder magic to its full capacity.

In this moment the remaining clones surrounding Eraqus fought him viciously. When the clone in the air eventually shot all her magic at Eraqus, the old man was able to redirect it to the clone a second before it hit him.

When the magic hit the clone, she vanished in a brief puff.

Then, Eraqus, having enough, created a chain made entirely out of light magic after blasting away two clones with a strong impact of light. He spun the chain around the clone who remained and used it to maneuver her straight into the original, where the two became one.

The original one slowed very slightly upon the sudden merging, but she hastily continued to strike at Sora. Sora, in return, tried distancing himself from her and the clone that wouldn't stop chasing him around.

Nearby, Eraqus fought the remaining clone with powerful light magic that Sora couldn't help but to openly admire.

"Whoa," he allowed to slip out once when he saw how Eraqus shot more beams of light out of his keyblade at the clones.

He tried not to get too distracted, however, and focused on merging the clone with the original instead.

There were, in total, two clones to merge with the original. Afterwards, as Sora remembered from before, Larxene would be left weakened and defenseless for at least ten seconds or so. It was in these ten seconds, he knew, that he would get the chance to finish her off once and for all.

In an instant, Eraqus had the clone he was battling hurling into the original where the two merged in a grand slam.

The original scowled at Eraqus once quickly recovering. She sent a spiral of wild lightning his way in retaliation.

Eraqus held up his keyblade to shield himself. "Sora!" he yelled, struggling to keep his shaky knees straight. "Now!"

Nearly jumping at the opportunity, Sora took the final clone by the sleeve and tossed her into the original who made the grave mistake of turning her back to him.

The final merging prompted a powerful blast of electrical sparks. Larxene shrieked. Eraqus, had he not had his feet firmly planted on the ground, would have been blown away.

Sora rushed over to them when he saw how Larxene stared at the ground panting heavily. He jumped high towards her and, as if moving in slow motion, fiercely slashed right through her.

When he did, darkness engulfed Larxene. The startled woman in the black coat looked accusingly at Sora. "No!" she yelled, attempting to keep herself together, but already she was fading away into nothingness.

Sora looked solemnly at her as he brought his keyblade to his side. He was silent.

Eraqus, who stood opposite of Sora, just closed his eyes and nodded.

Her last words were as Sora remembered them.

 _"No... Nooooo! I refuse to lose to a bunch of losers! I... I'm fading?! NO... this isn't... the way I... I won't... ALLOW..."_

In the fraction of a second, she was gone. And in her place, a single, quiet clatter of a chain link fell to the ground.

"Well done, Sora," Eraqus said, breathing heavily.

Sora, feeling tired himself but unable to recall the fight that just occurred, picked up the shiny, new chain link and observed it with a confused stare. Usually, when he forgot things, he felt empty inside. This time, however, if anything, he felt relieved. He looked to Eraqus, and his expression said it all. _What just happened?_

Master Keeper, in a flash, vanished from Eraqus's side. The old master merely shook his head. "We were forced into battle with a stubborn, bitter memory," he explained briefly.

"You too?" Sora looked at him curiously.

"...I did not wish to be involved, but I had no other choice. But do not worry so, Sora. I am certain you are better off now, not remembering this person."

Sora nodded. "I think so too. For now, at least."

"For now?"

Sora carefully tucked the chain link into his pocket. "I'm going to remember everything one day, remember?" he asked with an especially optimistic, yet unsure grin.

Eraqus frowned. How could Sora be so convinced that he would remember everything one day? Time and time again, when referring to his pile of chain links, his pile of forgotten memories, he always spoke as if he would be remembering everything again one day. But why? Just because a forgotten memory never truly goes away?

Yes, it was true that the memories would still be with Sora within the deepest depths of his heart, but that didn't mean that they'd be _accessible_ , let alone _remembered_. Sora just wasn't meant remembering the memories, even if he did become strong enough one day to find a way.

The old master wanted to tell Sora to abandon the childish thought. If anything, he needed to make new memories, not dwell on what was meant to be forgotten.

But how could Eraqus bring himself to tell his dear friend that? He hurt him so much already. How could he bear to hurt him anymore?

Without directly telling him to stop pretending there would be a way to remember everything, he simply said, "Be careful not to get your hopes up _too_ high about that, Sora."

"Hey, don't worry about me, Master. I'll find a way. For you, Naminé, and everyone else I can't remember." His smile became more certain. He was, it seemed, committed to one day remembering everything, no matter the consequence. He pulled the chain link back out from his pocket and held it up for Eraqus to see it. "With these, I'll at least have the memories with me. I'll have a chance."

"But why do you insist you remember them at all?" inquired Eraqus. "You're forgetting these things for a _reason_ , Sora."

Sora paused. "It doesn't feel right - forgetting so much." It seemed as though he had so much more to say, but he said nothing more and only shrugged lightly. "So what are we doing next?" he asked as he placed his hands behind his head and grinned.

Eraqus studied him with an odd gaze. Sora was his student for some time now, for a time nearing a year now, yet he did not have him completely figured out as he thought he would have. When he first met the boy, he assumed that he was an open book - a childish, but kind boy who was eager to restore his heart and return back to his normal life. But now? He saw a still childish, still kind, but somewhat maturing young man. Perhaps, as Eraqus originally hypothesized, being open hearted did not necessarily correspond with being an open book...

"You've yet to forget Marluxia and Axel," Eraqus said, snapping himself out of his own thoughts. "But I do not want to strain your heart for the rest of today. I would suggest you train, but that memory," he gestured to the chain link still in Sora's hand, "was enough for today." Eraqus smiled warmly. "You may have the rest of today for yourself, but tomorrow you will forget Axel."

Sora's expression suddenly changed. "Can I forget Marluxia instead?" he asked out of the blue.

Eraqus thought. "I...don't see why not," he said, deciding not to make too much of his request. "But after that, you understand that you'll have to forget Axel, correct?"

"Yeah," Sora said with a nod. "I know. Thank you."

The master, although curious, did not ask him to further elaborate.

For there was no way, for him, at least, to ever fully understand Sora's ways. And that in itself intrigued him.

* * *

"Are you certain you'll be alright facing Marluxia alone?"

"I don't want you to have to get involved again," Sora explained.

Eraqus crossed his arms. There was, he decided, no way to change his pupil's mind. Besides, despite wanting to be with Sora when he had to forget, there was some truth to what he said. It would be better to defeat Marluxia, who'd surely want to battle as Larxene had, without assistance this time.

"If you need me, just say the word and I will come to your side," Eraqus said as he placed a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"I will," Sora vowed with a nod.

"Remember, Sora. Dream of him and he will appear. You cannot forget him until he allows it or until you defeat him," Eraqus reminded before walking away from sight.

Sora took a small breath. Marluxia. He could remember the man clearly. The Graceful Assassin. Closing his eyes, he pictured him holding a single rose, thorns and all.

When he eventually opened his eyes, he stood before him just as he imagined him.

Sora summoned his keyblade in a hurry and readied himself for what was surely going to be a tough battle.

Marluxia did not move. He spoke impassively. "Put your weapon away, keyblade bearer. I am no fool; you obviously remember how you defeated me before. Therefore, I refuse to fight a pointless battle I cannot win." The graceful man flipped his hair back. "I suppose you'll have to simply _wait_ for me to allow myself to be forgotten."

With a scowl, Sora lowered his keyblade and it vanished. Although glad that he wouldn't have to fight, he had a bad feeling about chatting with Marluxia.

Marluxia studied the rose he held and ran a gentle hand through its petals.

He looked back to Sora. "So you've finally accepted it: to find is to lose and to lose is to find. Well done, Sora. I applaud you."

" _What_ are you talking about!? Why don't you start making sense?" Sora demanded, growing impatient. The bad feeling intensified as if he already anticipated what was coming.

"Honestly, Sora, all of the pieces have been set in front of you, at this point. All that remains is for you to line them up. Tell _me_ , what must you lose in order to find?"

Sora stood silent.

Marluxia scoffed. "Why am I standing in front of you now?"

Sora debated walking away. Yet he remained. The bad feeling spread throughout his body. The more he thought of it, the worse it became.

"Because I have to forget you," he said.

The man looked pleased with his response. "Correct. And what happens then?"

Sora paused. "It'll be like I never met you."

"That's obvious. What _else_?"

"...I won't remember having this conversation."

"Is that all?"

Sora couldn't take it anymore. "Enough with the riddles! Just tell me! Or don't. I don't care."

The man smelled the single rose in his hands and closed his eyes. "By choosing this path, you've chosen to lose…" He opened his eyes for dramatic effect.

"...her."

Sora's heart sank. He knew. He knew what Marluxia was implying all along, but he didn't want to admit it.

"What?" he asked.

"You have too many friends to name. But her… Her only friend was solitude before she met you. And now, that you have chosen to lose her, she will have nobody."

Sora's heart sank.

" _...Naminé."_

Marluxia smiled slowly upon hearing her name.

"I never _wanted_ to have to forget her," Sora insisted as he felt knots in his stomach. He lowered his gaze. "But I couldn't just forget my old friends, either."

Marluxia came dangerously close to Sora. "I asked you what would happen after you forget me, but you couldn't see the bigger picture then. I'll ask again: what will happen after this?"

"I'll just have to keep forgetting," Sora said.

"And then?"

Sora was quiet.

"Out with it," Marluxia snapped suddenly.

He looked away. "It'll be as...if I never met her. She'll be all...all alone again." He spoke almost in a whisper.

Marluxia nodded once. "Well done, Sora. You've come to terms with your repressed guilt over having to forget Naminé. I have fulfilled my purpose. Now I officially grant you my permission to forget me." He plucked a petal off the rose abruptly.

Sora looked back to him, confused. "What do mean _repressed guilt_?"

He plucked another petal. "Did you forget? This is your dream. You shape it." A third petal. "Your mind convinced your heart to combine your feelings of guilt with your memory of me. Perhaps you believed that bottling it away in someone else, someone you'd eventually have to forget, would make you forget the guilt itself, along with that person." He tore off the remaining petals and allowed the wind to take them. "But it was a foolish idea. Feelings like that don't just _go away_ , no matter how much you want to forget. The guilt will live inside you forever now that you've come to terms with it."

Sora thought of Naminé. She was so soft spoken, so kind, so... _lonely_.

He remembered when she gave him two options: forget the memories he made in Castle Oblivion or forget his true memories.

He chose, without a second thought, to regain his true memories.

Naminé's face, upon hearing his decision to forget _her_ , said it all. That was when, Sora figured, the guilt began.

Why?

Why did he have to choose? Why couldn't he just remember whatever he wanted to?

"No!" he exclaimed suddenly, hands balling into fists at his sides. "I made a promise to Naminé! I told her that when I woke up, we'd be friends for real!"

Marluxia scoffed. "You're going to forget making such a promise, you imbecile."

"I might forget," Sora said, almost as if trying to convince himself more so than trying to convince Marluxia. "But that promise will never go away! I'll remember it one day and fulfill it, just like I said I would!"

Marluxia laughed lightly. "You're a fool, Sora. Haven't you any idea of what the word _forgetting_ means? You cannot regain what you lose, no matter how strong you may think your heart is. When a memory is forgotten, it stays forgotten."

"You're wrong," Sora said, shutting his eyes tightly and shaking his head. _As long as I have the chain links I have the memories. And as long as I have the memories themselves…_

He opened his eyes only to find a torn apart rose and a chain link waiting for him to pick up.

He took the new chain link and squeezed it tightly.

 _...I can remember everything, one day._

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to guest who left such a lovely, thoughtful review. And, as always, thank you to everyone who favorites, reviews, and follows. Xoooxo**


	11. Dreams

_Please leave a review if you can. Thank you._

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Dreams**

Sora dreamt of the sunset and ice-cream that night as he always did, but something was wrong. The sunset looked grey and the ice-cream tasted only of salt. There was no laughter in the air.

He sat alone at the edge of the clock tower. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't do anything.

The ice cream in his hands started to melt into a sticky, blue mess. The only thing left behind was the wooden popsicle stick that faintly read _WINNER._ Before Sora could make anything out of it, he was falling.

Falling...

 _Falling..._

He fell into a white chair in an upside down, colorless room. He blinked in confusion for a long moment. When he reopened his eyes. The room was right side up. Sitting across from him sat Naminé. She paid him no attention. Instead, all she did was draw leisurely.

He tried mouthing her name, but he still could not speak.

He willed himself to stand. It felt as though something, something in his chest - his heart? - was weighing him down. Still, he approached her. When he stood beside her, he looked down at her drawing. It was…

"My islands!"

As soon as he said it, the scene shifted. He stood on the shore of the nostalgic beach. Naminé was no longer there. He walked around, aimlessly for some time, until standing before a familiar Keyblade in the sand. He picked it up. Master Keeper.

Looking into the ocean, he thought of the Keyblade's wielder.

Where was he? He looked around and saw no one.

 _Alone again._

He walked along the shore with the Keyblade in his hand.

The Keyblade itself was surprisingly light.

Strange.

Sora halted to test it out. He swung it once. Twice.

Then the Keyblade, as if having a mind of its own, shot a beam of light into the sky. The light started off small, but it eventually engulfed everything until Sora stood in empty, white space.

His footsteps echoed loudly in the infinite white. He still held the Keyblade, more confused than ever, as he made his way forward (or what seemed to be forward).

He walked on until discovering that every time he took a step forward, a single chain link fell to the ground behind him.

Instant panic filled his face. He instinctively reached into his pocket and discovered a hole. The memories must have fallen out from it.

But when he tried to gather the links, he could not. His hand, like a phantom's, phased right through them.

Sora stubbornly tried to pick them up. He could not. Still he continued. Over and over he tried. Eventually, he was forced to give up.

Frustrated to fail, the boy jammed the Keyblade into the ground. When he did, the ground he stood on shattered like glass.

Again, he fell. He and the chain links and the shards of glass and the Keyblade.

 _Falling_.

He woke up when he _fell_ right off his bed. He, naturally, yelled out in surprise when he did.

Puzzled, he looked around and realized that it was all just a dream. It couldn't have meant anything.

Then again, if dreams meant nothing, what about the dream he was in right then? The one where Eraqus was helping him restore his heart? Did it mean nothing?

With this in mind, he stood and frantically checked his pockets for holes.

* * *

"Good morning, Sora. How did you sleep?"

Why did Eraqus always have to ask that?

For a moment, Sora considered telling Eraqus of his dream in detail. At the last second, however, he decided against it.

"Fine," he said, distantly. He cut straight to the chase to avoid further interrogation. "I have to forget Axel today, right?"

Eraqus gave Sora an odd gaze as he was able to immediately sense that something was wrong.

"...Yes…" Eraqus said, seeming to be lost in a muse. "Are...you certain you slept alright?" he asked after close inspection of his pupil's distressed face.

"Yeah," Sora insisted, doing his best to grin as he normally did. He casually rested his hands behind the back of his head. "Why do you ask?"

Eraqus shook his head in response, but he wouldn't stop looking at Sora with that concentrated look. "Since you're so eager to forget him," he said, not once looking away, "you may go right ahead then."

Sora frowned lightly. "I'm not eager to forget him," he assured Eraqus. "I just know that I have to."

Eraqus crossed his arms, unpleased that Sora was acting so out of the ordinary. "Be honest, Sora," he said with a stern voice. "Are you alright?"

Sora, looking somewhat uneasy, just nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I just had a bad dream." He looked down.

Eraqus's expression softened. "I see," he said. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

Sora refused. "No, I'll be alright." He hesitated before forcing himself to say, "It was just a dream."

But it wasn't just a dream. He knew that. Eraqus knew that. It wasn't _just_ a dream. It meant something. It _had_ to. Still, it was easier just saying that it didn't mean a thing.

Eraqus, seeing as it hurt Sora to think about it, offered to give him some time to himself before going on with the day. "Perhaps it's best to forget Axel later," he said, but Sora only shook his head.

"I'm really fine," the boy said. "I can forget him now."

"So be it," Eraqus agreed, but still, he studied Sora closely. "Perhaps this time I should stay with you when you forget."

"You left before?" Sora had no recollection of Eraqus ever leaving his side before.

"...Ah yes, I let it slip my mind that you forgot," Eraqus admitted as he realized that Sora forgot forgetting Marluxia on his own.

"Huh?" asked Sora again, and Eraqus just shook his head.

"It is a long story," Eraqus explained, aware that Sora wouldn't be able to understand even if he tried. "One better left untold. Now, Sora. You must dream of Axel and be prepared to battle him if-"

He cut himself off once realizing that Sora already did so. In the distance a dark corridor appeared, and the fiery young man walked out.

Axel lazily closed the corridor behind him and made his way over to the pair with a strange expression on his face. He looked satisfied, yet uneasy.

"Is it time to forget already?" he spoke coolly, slowly. "Man, how time flies."

Sora smiled a bit. "Axel."

Eraqus, who never liked Axel given their short history together, looked to him in utter disapproval. Still, he wouldn't allow himself to interfere again. He crossed his arms and stayed silent, for the most part.

Axel looked to Eraqus with somewhat of a nervous, yet cocky smile, until ultimately choosing to ignore him. He turned his full attention to Sora.

"Do you think...I can just forget you this time?" Sora asked, choosing his words carefully. "I couldn't before. Do you think I can now?"

Axel shrugged. "I dunno," he admitted. "Why don't you try? I got places to be, things to do." He chuckled at Sora's reaction when he said it.

"Oh _really_?" Sora asked. "Like what?"

Axel looked up to think about it. "Ice-cream," he answered, perhaps too immediately.

Sora momentarily thought back to his dream, but he did not mention it. Instead, he merely said, "I guess this means goodbye then." He stuck out his hand for Axel to shake.

Eraqus, who paid his undivided attention all along, raised an eyebrow. Still, he said nothing.

Axel looked at the boy's hand with a conflicted look. It was as if he couldn't decide whether or not to shake his hand. In the end he just rested his hand on his hip and said, "I wasn't annihilated at C.O., remember?" He scoffed a bit, offended, almost, and turned his head the other way. "You haven't seen the last of me."

Sora brought his hand back to his side. "You think we'll meet again when I wake up?"

"It's more than likely," Axel admitted as he turned his gaze back to him.

"Well, okay then," Sora said with a grin. "Instead of goodbye, how 'bout see you later?"

Axel smirked. "That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard you say, and I've heard you ramble about the importance of friendship," he said, amused.

"Hey!"

They shared a brief laugh.

Eraqus, startled, looked on with suspicion. This couldn't be the same Axel that lured him into Castle Oblivion before, could it?

"Maybe when we meet again, we really could be friends," Sora said once the laughter died down.

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Not sure about that," he said honestly.

"I guess that's for the real you to decide," Sora went on, closing his eyes in thought.

"Guess so," Axel agreed.

A moment of silence.

"Hey," Axel said, abruptly moving forward. He faced Eraqus. "Before I go, I just…" He hesitated. "I want to apologize."

"Is that so?" Eraqus asked, expression unclear.

"...Yeah," Axel said. He thought about it for some time. In the end, all he said was: "... _Sorry_."

But Eraqus was cold towards him, for there was a certain darkness about him that he could not openly deny. "You should be apologizing to Sora," he said simply.

Axel winced. But he expected nothing more from him after what he did.

Sora stepped in swiftly. "No, it's alright, Master. He doesn't have to apologize to me for anything."

When he said it, Axel's shoulders noticeably relaxed. He couldn't help but to make a face at Eraqus when Sora wasn't looking as if to say _HA_.

Eraqus, not daring to stoop to Axel's level of immaturity, once again turned away. He stayed silent.

Axel turned back to Sora. "Well now that everyone's on good terms," he announced sarcastically as he clasped his hands together. "Why don't you go ahead and forget me then? And by me, I mean the me that _you_ remember, Sora."

Sora thought about it. "What if I can't?"

"You can," Axel said, reassuringly. "You gotta. Look, why don't you just try it?"

Sora shut his eyes. But why did it feel like forgetting Axel would be like forgetting his best friend? His eyes flickered open. "Can you tell me something first?" he asked suddenly.

Axel tensed. "...Sure."

Eraqus looked curiously to Sora.

"You told me before that you aren't just made up of my memories. Whose other memories are you made up of then?"

Axel shifted slightly. "Doesn't matter," he said, avoiding eye contact. "He'll be gone by the time you wake up."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like I said. Doesn't matter." His voice was momentarily bitter.

"Axel," Eraqus said, speaking abruptly. Both Sora and Axel turned to him when he spoke. "You're...made of more than just Sora's memories?" He looked appalled.

"Yeah," Axel said cautiously.

"But what will happen to what remains of you once Sora forgets?" Eraqus inquired.

Axel sighed. "Does anyone listen around here? I said I got places to go, ice-cream to eat, remember?"

Silence.

"You're talking about going to the clock tower, right?" Sora interjected softly.

Axel looked at him. "...Yeah." He looked sad, somehow.

"You're going to be alone, aren't you?" Sora asked as if the words hurt.

"Hey, it's no big deal," Axel insisted. "I think some alone time is due. I'll have plenty of time to do some much needed self-reflecting. Got it memorized?"

Sora managed a smile. "Alright, Axel."

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Maybe saying goodbye won't hurt after all," he mumbled. He appeared embarrassed to even mention it after turning Sora down.

Sora brightened at the request. He silently stuck out his hand in his direction again.

Axel took his offer that time. Before bidding Sora farewell, he flashed a sarcastic grin at Eraqus.

Eraqus said nothing.

Axel looked back to Sora and shook his hand.

"See ya, Sora."

"Goodbye...Axel."

There was a time of comfortable silence as the two acknowledged each other one last time with faint smiles traced with hints of despair. Then, as Sora allowed himself to forget his memories of Axel, the tall man began to fade away.

Eraqus, who'd been spectating everything, assumed he was fading away to the supposed clock atower Sora mentioned before. A clock tower somewhere in the depths of Sora's heart? It was a curious thought, but one better left unexplored for the time being.

He turned his gaze to Sora, who still held out his hand as if shaking the hand of a ghost.

Sora's hand quivered slightly. Now, rather than a hand, he held a chain link.

* * *

Just as the night before, Sora did not sleep well.

He dreamt of a seemingly endless, winding path.

He was alone as he always was in his dreams. In the familiar solitude, he traveled down the path. His hands were in his pockets, and his head was slightly lowered.

Sora walked on and on for what felt like infinity. He walked without stopping to think about what he was walking to or what he was walking away from.

He went on without purpose until he felt an urgent impulse to run.

He felt as though someone up ahead needed him. While he did not directly hear anyone's voice, he could feel their hurting just up ahead.

And so he dashed forward. He ran, ran as fast as he could until he stood in front of a towering castle. It loomed before him like a shadow.

It was a castle, he realized as he took a step back, that he'd been to before. A castle he was supposed to forget.

Castle Oblivion.

Sora, while afraid to reenter the castle that wrecked his heart before, could not help himself. He felt someone in there, someone desperate for his help. Someone...sleeping. Someone who needed to wake up.

He couldn't just stand there and ignore their pain.

And so he scrambled to the doors. His hands fumbled around the knob once. Twice. He could not grab it just as he could not grab the chain links in his last dream.

He swiftly summoned his Keyblade. The Keyblade was supposed to open any door, right?

Sora pointed it at the door, but nothing happened. The door did not open in a burst of light as it should have. It stayed shut. His Keyblade was useless.

On the verge of anger, Sora slashed the door in frustration. Still, however, it stayed closed, and the person inside remained unhelped.

And Sora never felt more helpless than he did then.

He woke up with his Keyblade in his hands.

Startled, he made it disappear. He must have summoned it in his sleep.

He stood from his bed and held both hands to his face. Who was it in the dream that he couldn't save?

* * *

"And your Keyblade wasn't functioning properly?"

"It wouldn't open the door."

"I see. What did you do then?"

"I kept trying to get it open, but it just...it wouldn't."

Eraqus stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Do you...know who it was that you were trying to get to?" He attempted to speak calmly. He knew who it was. He knew exactly who it was. But Sora couldn't know that.

Sora just shook his head. He made his move on the chessboard on the table in front of him. "Check," he said, glumly.

Eraqus briefly looked down at the pieces surrounding his king. He was always mediocre when it came to chess, but since when was Sora such an expert?

He reluctantly sacrificed his last bishop to save the king and cringed when Sora took his piece.

"Perhaps you couldn't open the door because you've already forgotten Castle Oblivion's interior," the old master offered as he studied the board.

"Maybe…" Sora agreed. "But…do you really think that there was someone in there that needed me?"

Eraqus ended up moving a single pawn forward. "Perhaps," he said impassively, though his heart raced.

Sora was quick to capture the pawn as if it had been his plan all along for Eraqus to make that one move. "Check," he said again once seeing that Eraqus's king was left unguarded.

Eraqus put careful thought into making his next move. He only had three pieces left, and his pride wouldn't let him lose so easily.

"Hey, Master. What do I have to forget today?" asked Sora after a long pause.

Eraqus, without making his move, looked up to Sora with a strange expression. "Ironically, today you must forget...Castle Oblivion." He slid his last pawn forward. "Check," he said.

"Oh," said Sora quietly. "But...if I forget the rest of Castle Oblivion today, I'll never find out who I couldn't help." He moved his king to the side.

"Assuming there is someone in there in need of your help," Eraqus corrected, pursuing Sora's king with his pawn.

"It couldn't have been just a dream. Even the dream I had yesterday, that wasn't just a dream either," Sora insisted as he captured Eraqus's pawn with his knight. "It meant something. Someone was in there. Someone _is_ in there."

"Even if he is in there, it is beyond your control to help him, Sora." Eraqus spoke softly. He was running out of moves. He only had two pieces to work with and had to use one to protect the other. There was no room for offensive tactics; he would have to keep playing just to not lose. He moved his rook in front of his king.

"Him?" Sora echoed. He brought his queen dangerously close to the rook.

Eraqus, fearing for his king, moved it further back. "Him or her," he clarified.

Sora brought another piece forward. "You don't...know who it was, do you, Master Eraqus?"

Eraqus moved his king back again. "I...have my suspicions as to whom it may be," he answered vaguely.

By now, Sora's pieces surrounded his king. There was nowhere else for him to flee to. "Checkmate," Sora said casually after moving one piece. In a more urgent tone, he asked, "Who do you think it was?"

"It serves no relevance to know," Eraqus insisted. "Well done, Sora. You won once again," he added, referring to the game.

"But why not?"

"If anything, knowing will only burden you when it comes time to forget it later today," Eraqus explained. "Would you care for another round?"

"How can I help whoever's in there if I don't know who it is?" Sora challenged.

"How can you help him if you forget the castle entirely?" Eraqus asked patiently.

Sora said nothing. "But I'm going to remember everything one day, remember?" he eventually asked.

Eraqus shook his head. "You cannot help everyone, Sora…" he said gently. "For your own sake, if not anything else, remember _that._ You cannot help everyone."

Sora looked down a bit. "I guess you're right. Still...can't I try?" He began resetting the pieces in their respective spots. "One more round."

Eraqus nodded. "Your determination is admirable," he noted. "And may I ask how you became so skillful in this game?"

Sora grinned for the first time that morning. "My mom taught me."

"That's that first time I heard you speak about your mother," Eraqus commented, surprised to hear about her. He followed Sora's example and began resetting the pieces on his side.

"I think about her a lot," Sora further explained. "And my dad too."

"It's understandable," Eraqus agreed.

"Who taught you how to play?" Sora asked, curious.

Eraqus frowned a bit. "An old friend," he answered distantly. "He was my closest friend, actually. But I lost him to darkness, and I've only myself to blame."

Sora frowned too. Maybe he shouldn't have asked.

Eraqus chuckled, breaking the brief tension. "He obviously had no idea what he was talking about, seeing as how terrible I am at this game. Perhaps you can show me a few tricks?"

Sora smiled at the thought.

* * *

When it eventually came time to forget Castle Oblivion, Sora waited outside as Eraqus previously instructed him to do.

It was nearing dusk and he still couldn't stop thinking about the person he couldn't get to in his dream. Once he forgot about the castle, what then? When would he be able to remember it, if ever?

No, there was no room for doubt. He _would_ remember everything. It was just a matter of _when._

Eventually, Eraqus emerged from the castle holding a crown shaped card. On it was the image of Castle Oblivion.

"Are you ready, Sora?" Eraqus asked.

Sora nodded. "I am," he said trying to forget the idea of the person stuck in there, waiting for him.

Eraqus, as if feeling nervous _for_ Sora, let out a breath as he handed the card to his pupil.

Sora took the card and closed his eyes.

"Think of the castle," he heard Eraqus say. "Think of the door you couldn't open. The dark sky and clouds above it. Can you remember it, Sora?"

Sora absently nodded. "Yeah…" he said, and when he opened his eyes, he gasped out loud and dropped the card in shock.

The Land of Departure was no longer as it should have been. The roof was green, the walls a dark yellow. Towers in all directions stuck out of the walls. The sky was dark. The ground was jagged. The door was sealed tightly. Everything was wrong.

Sora felt a cold shiver. Why was everything wrong? Why did the whole world, the whole Land of Departure, transform into Castle Oblivion?

But while everything _looked_ wrong, something was still...still right.

It _felt_ right.

That was what frightened Sora the most.

Eraqus said nothing.

"Master Eraqus," Sora breathed out in a state of shock. "Why… What happened to the Land of Departure? Why did it turn into Castle Oblivion?" He gazed up at the castle. "The two worlds...are they...the same?"

Eraqus sighed a bit. There was no point in keeping the truth from Sora any longer. "Yes."

Sora walked forward. He placed his hand on the sealed door. For a long time, he did not speak.

"Sora?" Eraqus called out, coming to his side when he did not respond. "Are you alright?" He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You told me before that you were bound to this world," Sora said speaking almost inaudibly. "That when you left, you just went to another version of it. You went to Castle Oblivion, didn't you?"

Eraqus did not answer.

"And...Ventus," Sora continued. "He told me that it was because of him that you left."

"Sora…"

"Ventus is the one in Castle Oblivion, isn't he?"

"...Yes."

"And once I forget this castle, I'll forget that he's in there too."

"Yes."

"There will be no way for me to look for him when I wake up. He'll just...stay in there."

"Sora, that's enough," Eraqus forced out. "You must forget Castle Oblivion. We cannot delay it any longer."

Sora turned to him. "But what about Ven?" he demanded. "I felt his pain! I can't just leave him all alone in there!"

Eraqus attempted to calm him. "Now is not the time, Sora. One day, as you keep telling me, you will find a way to remember everything. Then, you can find him and save him. I trust that you will. But now is just...not the time."

Sora lowered his gaze. "It's not fair," he said, sounding defeated. But he knew he was right.

"It is not," Eraqus agreed in a comforting voice. "But it is what it is."

Sora longingly looked over his shoulder to the castle. "I just wish there was another way."

The master couldn't help but to agree. "As do I," he said, expressing his deep sadness for but a moment. For a second he considered persuading Sora to keep his memory of Castle Oblivion so that he'd be able to save Ventus after all. But it was a selfish thought. He kept it to himself. The restoration of his heart had to come above all else.

Sora looked back to Eraqus. "Okay," he finally said. "I'm...going to forget it now."

His words visibly hurt Eraqus. "Yes," he said, despite of it. "That is what's best."

Sora inhaled deeply. He tried not to think of Ventus. But how could he not? He was clearly someone very important to Eraqus. Denying Ventus his help was the same, in Sora's eyes, as hurting his master. Why did it have to be this way? Why did Ventus have to be in Castle Oblivion, of all places? He wished he didn't have to forget. He didn't want to. He _never_ wanted to. It was all just so hard.

When Naminé told him before that she could fix his memories, he never imagined it would be such a difficult, heavy task for him. And if it was this hard for him, he couldn't bear to imagine how hard it was on Naminé. He reminded himself that when he woke up, he'd have to thank her for everything. It was a good thing Jiminy wrote that message in his journal…

If only he had a journal then to make a note to apologize to Ventus one day.

But at least, he figured, he had the chain links. A chance at remembering everything one day. A chance at setting everything right.

With this small spark of hope in mind, he envisioned the castle behind him crumbling away into the deepest depths of his heart.

He exhaled sharply, and the stormy sky brightened into an orange sunset. They stood on lush grass. When he turned around, the castle that waited for him was the one from the Land of Departure. The world card he dropped earlier transformed into a chain link.

Castle Oblivion was no more. And with it, Sora's only memory of Ventus's whereabouts.

* * *

That night, Sora had the most frightening dream of them all.

He did not dream of solitude or of locked doors. There were no empty beaches or grey sunsets or melted, salty ice-cream. No falling, no wandering, no holes in his pockets.

Instead, there was nothing.

He dreamt of nothing.


	12. Name Game

_*2 months after last update*_

 _(In Moriarty voice) Did you miss me?_

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Name Game**

Sleeping was easy. Falling asleep never was.

Eraqus sat up from his bed and rubbed his temples. Thoughts of Ventus, alone and vulnerable in that terrible castle, plagued his mind ever since Sora forgot Castle Oblivion earlier that day. In his heart he knew that it was for Sora's own good that he forgot such a place, but a small part of him wished he hadn't. Had there been a way for Sora to keep his memory of the castle, there would have been someone to save Ventus.

The harsh reality was that, without Sora, there was no one. Had Terra or Aqua been in the position to save him, they already would have. That could only mean that something happened to _them_ too, something that prevented them from doing so. If this was true, who would save the three of them?

It should have been him, their master and father, but how could he? He knew that outside of Sora's dream, all he was was a lingering soul absent of a heart and a body.

 _Unless_...

Could Sora really find a way to save his soul? Eraqus believed that the young Keyblade wielder was capable of so much, but to save a person without a body or heart? How could even Sora achieve such a thing?

It was hopeless to hope, and that very concept made sleep very difficult to come that night.

He thought back to the last night he could remember not being able to sleep. It was the night before Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery Exam.

He recalled the night vividly. After hours of tossing and turning, he went outside for some fresh air. There, he encountered Ventus, who was having similar problems falling asleep.

But Eraqus, not wanting to admit to his insomnia, claimed that he was just making final preparations for the next day. Still, he could not help but yawn as he sat beside his student.

Ventus, on the other hand, openly admitted to his inability to sleep. Then, he asked Eraqus what would happen if only one of his friends passed the exam as if the question had been bothering him for some time.

Eraqus stressed that the exam itself was not a competition. And then he told him that there was no reason to worry because he believed in his heart that both Terra and Aqua would succeed, even though he had his doubts.

His words comforted the boy. Then, allowing the subject to drop, Ventus took the opportunity to tell Eraqus about how one day he'd become a Keyblade Master too.

Eraqus listened to him and couldn't help but to smile. Just hearing Ventus talk on and on about his dreams strangely relaxed him in a way.

Eventually, when Ventus could talk no more, he yawned and bid the Master goodnight before heading back to bed. Afterwards, Eraqus was able to sleep with no trouble at all. He could never figure out why.

The memory faded and Eraqus found himself right where he started: unable to sleep. He did the only thing he could think to do, which was to go outside.

He took a seat beneath the sea of stars. Everything was as it was on the night before the Mark of Mastery. Hopelessness, fear, and darkness. Oh, how he loathed the darkness.

One thing, despite the similarities, was different.

Ventus was nowhere in sight. He, Eraqus reminded himself bitterly, wasn't having trouble sleeping. He was already fast asleep.

* * *

Sora knew her name. He heard Naminé say it once, and he associated it with the girl that would sometimes appear in the background of his dreams. Xion.

That was her name. Sora tested it once or twice, just to hear himself say it.

 _Xion_.

It was nice to know it, but what did it matter? Her name didn't tell him anything about her. She was still a stranger to him, even if he did know what to call her.

If only names said more about a person. Then, Sora would know why he wanted to know everything about her.

He woke up after a long, dreamless night only to realize that it was already late in the afternoon. Why did Eraqus allow him to sleep in? The last time he let him do that was when they first met, and that felt like such a long time ago.

Sora sat on the edge of his bed and stared into space.

 _Xion._ He said it again and again in his mind as if trying to discover some hidden meaning in the syllables. There must have been something he missed.

When he thought of the name "Riku," he felt content. When he thought of his mother and father's name, he felt secure. When he thought of "Donald" and "Goofy" he felt warmth.

But _Xion._

It was the name of the stranger, and yet, it made him feel everything the other names did. Content, security, and a touch of warmth.

But it also made him feel light headed and worried, as if Xion, whoever she was, was in trouble. In trouble how? He hadn't the faintest idea. All he knew was her _name_ , after all.

Sora made his way over to the courtyard.

After surveying the area, he saw Eraqus seated in one of the white, concrete seats. He seemed to be meditating.

Although Sora didn't want to interrupt, he walked forward anyway and cheerfully greeted the man.

"Afternoon, Master Eraqus."

The man's eyes opened hesitantly to his greeting. Sora's head tilted to the side slightly upon realizing that Eraqus wasn't meditating at all; he was sleeping.

"Sora," he said, somewhat drowsily. He was apologetic. "I must have lost track of time. Is it afternoon already?"

Sora gave a brief nod. "Yeah," he answered. "But why were you sleeping out here?"

Eraqus cleared his throat. "I came out here for some fresh air last night and I suppose I dozed off." He shifted the conversation back to Sora. "And yourself? How did you sleep? No nightmares?"

Nightmares? Sora thought back to his blank dream. "Not really," he answered honestly.

"I see…" Eraqus said, and it was only then when Sora noticed the deep bags beneath his eyes. "Now then… I am sorry, once again, for letting the day slip by. I should have woken you sooner."

"That's alright," Sora said as he rested his hands behind his head. He looked to be at peace for but a second before excitedly yelling out, "Hey! I have an idea."

"Oh?" asked Eraqus as he hid a yawn behind his hand in hopes that Sora wouldn't mistake his exhaustion with indifference.

Sora hesitated as if thinking twice about it. Eventually, he decided to just blurt it out. "Why don't you give me the day off today?"

Eraqus was shocked to even hear the words come out of his mouth. " _Sora,"_ he began, in a tone reserved for lectures.

"Just hear me out!" Sora said, waving his hand at him before he went off.

Eraqus crossed his arms and listened with a judgemental look.

"I don't think you slept well," Sora said. "So you should sleep. And I…don't think I'm ready to forget Naminé yet. I'll be ready tomorrow, but not...not today." He lowered his gaze.

Eraqus stiffened. "I didn't plan for you to forget Naminé today," he said seriously.

Sora looked confused. He looked back up at him. "What? But I think I already forgot everything and everyone else. Didn't I? It's not like I can remember forgetting, but…" he trailed away into a murmur.

Eraqus stood. "Yes, but there's still someone you must _remember_."

"Huh?"

Eraqus gave a small smile, despite everything. "Your light," he said.

Sora was confused. "What are you talking about?" But his heart fluttered.

"You cannot think of her name?"

"Who?"

"I cannot tell you, but I suppose a hint wouldn't hurt."

"Master Eraqus-"

"Her name starts with a K."

Sora froze.

Names. So many names. Names meant nothing, but names meant everything.

Like Xion. Her name was still on his mind, but now when he thought of her name, he could vaguely imagine another one, one starting with a K...

"You're almost there, Sora," Eraqus remarked kindly. "It's fascinating to see you almost remember her, even when your memories of her are in someone else…" he added, more so to himself than to Sora.

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked, oblivious.

"Once you remember her, you'll be strong enough to forget Naminé. I know you will be," Eraqus went on. "That is why you cannot have the day off. Not today."

Sora looked pensive. "How do I remember her? My light?" he asked.

"I am not sure," Eraqus explained. "But I know that _you_ do."

"Me?" Sora echoed. He shook his head warily.

The Master just nodded. "I know you can," he said reassuringly.

 _Sora._

"Huh?" Sora asked, scanning the area.

 _I'm sorry that it took so long for me to do the right thing._

"What is it?" Eraqus, who apparently could not hear the voice, asked his startled pupil.

 _But now it's time you forget my name and remember hers instead._

Sora looked everywhere in a desperate attempt to find the speaker of the voice. "Where are you?" he called out to no one.

Eraqus, now looking concerned, observed Sora carefully. "Who are you speaking to, Sora?" he asked.

"It's Xion…" Sora said, surprising himself when he realized who it was. He looked visibly shaken. And when he thought of her name, an image of a seashell on the ground flashed before his eyes. "I think I know where to find her," he told Eraqus. "I have to go see her!"

Eraqus looked severely distressed. He looked to be debating internally with himself. "Do what you must," he said once deciding that he trusted him.

Without taking the time to explain himself, Sora ran off.

* * *

Sora searched the islands for her. How he got there and how he'd know she'd be there, he'd never know for sure. All he could remember was running, running, running. And the Land of Departure became Destiny Islands. And he searched. Where was she? She should have been there. She had to be.

Already, he had difficulty picturing her face. He clung onto her name.

He kept running until he ran right out of breath. He leaned against the paopu fruit tree and panted. Just a break, he told himself. After a quick break, he'd turn the world upside down until he found her.

After resting for a few moments, he froze when he felt a presence behind him when he least expected it.

Then the shadow of a person spoke. Xion. "Sora." Her voice was polite, yet empty. She rarely spoke in his dreams, but when she did, she sounded so different. Happier. But now it was monotone. Plain. Indifferent with a hint of sadness.

When he heard her say his name he turned to her and stared. Suddenly, he forgot how to speak. The air became dense.

She spoke slowly. "I didn't think...that you would come see me." She lowered her gaze as if she were ashamed.

Sora couldn't help but to smile reassuringly. He spoke softly. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, as if it was obvious all along that he would come.

She continued to look at the sandy ground. "You're not upset?" she asked with an odd tone, as if she expected him to be upset with her.

"No," Sora answered without thinking to ask why she would wonder that.

She looked up to him. "You'll be...better off now."

Without saying another word, Xion walked past him and took a seat on the curved trunk of the tree. She looked longingly at the ocean.

Questions. So many questions. Sora turned to face her, to ask her his questions. He opened his mouth to speak, but then his head began to ache. He held two hands up to it and groaned.

No. He shook away the pain. It wasn't the head. It never was. Why did he always have to lie to himself?

It was the heart.

 _His_ heart. It ached. It had all along.

"Xion," Sora forced out to not forget her name. "What's...happening?"

She didn't turn to look at him. "You'll remember her soon. I'm really sorry...that I took so long to make the right choice." She twiddled with her gloved hands. "It's just...I wasn't ready to leave my friends."

Sora sat beside her. When he did, she visibly jumped.

Xion elaborated. "I took your memories of her. It was time I gave them back. I'm sorry I took so long."

Sora's voice was distant. "I don't understand."

"You need to let go of my name," Xion explained. "That way, you'll be able to remember hers."

Sora looked at her closely. She looked so sad. This made him frown.

"Who are you, Xion?" he asked, for that was all he could think to ask.

This made her smile ironically. "I'm not really sure," she said. She wouldn't look at him. "I always figured that I was just a puppet, but right now...I just don't know."

Sora crossed his arms. "Isn't _puppet_ a bit harsh?" He closed his eyes in thought.

She looked to him with gentle eyes and just shook her head.

Sora looked to the ocean. "You remind me...of someone."

"Who's that?" Xion asked, though she already knew.

"I'm pretty sure that her name starts with a K."

For some time, they sat in silence. Then, she spoke abruptly.

"Sora," Xion said softly. "What will happen to me?" There was a touch of fear in her voice. It sounded as if she had been waiting to ask that question all along.

"I'm not really sure, Xion," Sora admitted. "But if you want, you can stay here until I find a way for you and your friends to be together again."

"What do you mean?"

"You said that you left your friends because it would help me. Isn't it only fair that I help you in some way too?" Sora asked with a smile.

"I...don't think that you understand," Xion clarified. "Once you let go of my name, everyone will forget me. Even my friends. Your memories of her are what make me who I am. When I give them back...there won't be a _me_ to remember."

" _Huh_?"

Xion managed a forced smile. "I told you I was just a puppet."

There was more silence.

"I don't want you to be forgotten by your friends," Sora said as he jumped out of his seat. He was on the verge of anger. "It's not right."

"Don't you want to remember her?" Xion asked, maintaining her calmness.

Sora took a pause. _Starts with a K…_ His heart ached more than ever before. "Of _course_ I do," he admitted. "More than anything."

"Then forget my name," Xion said. "I'm ready to be forgotten. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here right now. You've already given me so much. Now I have to give it all back."

Sora looked down. " _But_ …"

"I didn't think you'd come to see me," she said again. "But you _did_. Thank you, Sora." She smiled genuinely.

Sora spoke hesitantly. "You don't have to thank me," he said. "Actually… Shouldn't I be the one thanking you?"

Xion looked confused. "All I ever did was take her away from you. Why would you thank me?"

"Because you're here now," Sora said simply as he rested his hand on his heart. "Thank you."

Xion's eyes brightened. "I always wondered what you'd be like. Now that I've met you, I can see why…"

"Why what, Xion?"

She looked dreamily to the sunset. "It's nothing, Sora."

Sora looked to the sunset too.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Xion asked in a chilling, eerie voice. And before Sora could turn back to respond, she vanished into thin air.

He turned to the empty seat and felt loneliness in more ways than one.

He stayed at the tree for some time, grasping onto Xion's name for as long as he could in hopes of being able to speak to her again, to tell her just _how_ beautiful the sunset was. But when she never came back, she gradually started slipping away.

When he could no longer say think of her name or picture her face, he absentmindedly thought to reach inside his pocket.

There, he discovered a good luck charm he'd been carrying all along without ever realizing it.

 _Starts with a K._

He grew eager, yet nervous to think of her name. Names meant nothing, so why did it feel as though remembering _her_ name would mend his heart?

He forced his mind to focus. To think of her name. What was it? It was on the tip of his tongue. It was...it was...

... _Kairi_.

Kairi. That girl he liked.

His light.

He held the charm carefully now, taking note of its simple, yet intricate design. It was _Kairi's_ lucky charm, and he promised to give it back to her. He remembered now. Kairi. He looked to the sunset and thought of her. Of her voice, of her face, her name.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi. The three of them were connected. Always.

Sora tightened his grip on the charm and thought of them. He gazed at the endless ocean with amazement in his eyes. It wasn't too long ago that he, Riku, and Kairi planned to explore the ends of that ocean and when they thought their world was too small. Compared to other worlds, maybe they were right all along. Maybe the islands _were_ too small.

Sora turned away from the ocean to look at the island itself. Everything was as he remembered it: the trees, the old shack, the secret place. It _was_ small, but there was nothing wrong with that because even while it was small, it was home. And there was nowhere else Sora would rather be.

He looked forward to waking up, to finding Riku and coming back home to Kairi. He rested his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and imagined what coming home would be like. He had so many stories about other worlds to tell Kairi. And he needed to spar with Riku, just to show him how much stronger he was now. And his parents! What would his parents say? What would he say to _them_? And what about school? How much homework exactly did he have to make up? He tried not to think about that.

When he eventually opened his eyes again, he was, to say the least, surprised to see someone he hadn't met before by the harbor.

The man, from that angle, looked like a villain from a fairy tale. He was dressed in dark red and had his arms behind his back. His cape flowed gently behind him. He didn't seem to notice Sora, for there was instead a vacant look in his eyes as he stared ahead at the ocean.

Sora approached him, out of sole curiosity.

"Who are you?" he asked when he stood behind him.

The man neglected to respond or even acknowledge him.

Sora persisted. "I'm Sora."

"I am well aware of your name, young man," the man said.

Sora frowned a bit. "Who are you?" he asked a second time.

His voice was calm now. "I suppose that I should inform you now that I am composed only of data, Sora. My name is of little importance."

"Data?"

The man turned to him. "I inputed myself into the deepest depths of your heart in the form of data so that you could one day receive my urgent message."

"You...have something to tell me? Why not just tell me when I wake up?"

The man shook his head. "I have made a great deal of mistakes in my lifetime. By the time you wake up, I will have to pay for those mistakes."

Sora did not understand. His face visibly expressed this.

"When the time comes," the man went on, "you will understand." He gestured to the ocean.

When Sora looked out there, he could faintly see the orange sunlight sparkle on a glass message in a bottle floating distantly on the water. How had he missed it before?

"Is that your message?" Sora asked.

The man nodded once and closed his eyes. "You have a special ability, Sora."

Sora couldn't keep his eyes away from the message in the bottle. "A special...ability?"

The man was straightforward. "You are able to connect with others' hearts."

"What do you mean?"

"I am a man of research. All my life I've been collecting and recording data regarding the ways of the heart. Yet it was in vain I've sought to understand the heart itself. After examining your heart as you slumber, however, I've come to the understanding that I know nothing." He turned away in shame. "The message I am encoding into your heart will, I hope, one day be able to combine my life's work with your ability to connect with others' hearts to bring back those who have been lost or no longer exist."

Sora watched the gentle waves crash against the shore. Those who have been lost or no longer exist? He thought briefly of Eraqus and his students and lowered his head.

"Is there anyway I can see the message now?"

This prompted the man to turn back to look his way with a curious gleam in his eyes. "I am afraid that the message is still in the process of being encoded."

Sora said nothing. He looked disappointed.

"Do you wish to save someone now?" the man asked as if he was impressed and confused all at once.

Sora nodded. "I do. It's kind of a long story, but I need to save someone's soul that has nowhere to go once I wake up."

The very statement surprised the mysterious man. "I know very little of the soul," he admitted. "I once believed that I knew everything of hearts, until I learned of you. But souls… Souls, as far as I am concerned, cannot survive very long on their own without a vessel and a heart, correct?"

Sora nodded. "I know that I need to find something physical and valuable to contain the soul until I can find a way to bring him back entirely, but…" His voice almost cracked. "I thought and thought about it and I couldn't think of _anything_. I don't know what to do anymore."

The man just laughed briefly as if to conceal a deep, inner devastation. Then, he thought. Once realizing something, he spoke again, words as cold as ice. "Think, Sora. The world as you know it is located in a mere dreamscape, correct?"

Sora nodded.

The man went on. "Are dreams, in any way, shape, or form, physical realms?"

Sora shook his head.

"How then, will you find a physical vessel in a nonphysical realm to contain the soul of the one you want to save?"

Sora shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I...I don't know," he confessed.

The man sighed inaudibly. "If you cannot think of the answer...nobody can," he stated hopelessly.

A deep frown formed on the boy's face. He stood quietly.

"Perhaps…" the man said eventually after thinking more carefully about it. "...Hm…"

"What is it?" Sora asked eagerly.

"There are a handful of illusions, of dreams, that exist in the physical world if one knows where to search. Shouldn't that very idea imply the existence of the opposite? Of physical objects existing in the world of dreams?" He considered it.

This seemed to make Sora think of something. He grew so excited that there was even a bounce in his step when he responded. "Wait a minute!" he said. "I think I know what I can use!"

The man smiled for the first time. "Is that so?"

Sora nodded. "It's physical. I know it is." He proudly pumped a fist in the air. "But...how will I know if it will be enough to substitute for a heart too?"

The man seemed to sadden. "If I learned anything of the heart in all my years of research, it is that hearts, just as they are homes to great miracles, are homes to great tragedies. If your vessel can provide either of these things - a miracle or a tragedy - I can assure you that it will be enough."

For some time, the two figures stood there in deep contemplation surrounded by the serene sound of the surf.

"You never told me your name," Sora pointed out thoughtfully.

The man scoffed. "Names...mean nothing," he said, almost as if saying his name brought him great shame. Without another word, he took his leave leaving Sora to watch the beauty of the sunset in solitude.

He thought of the physical vessel he had in mind and of what the man said about hearts being homes to either miracles or tragedies.

Would the vessel he had in mind bring about a miracle or a tragedy?

Embraced by the overwhelming beauty of the sunset, he felt his heart sink. It would end only in tragedy.

* * *

When Sora eventually reappeared in the Land of Departure, Eraqus was swift to ensure that everything was alright.

Sora's response was vague, but enough nevertheless.

" _I remembered Kairi."_

Upon hearing such a thing, Eraqus smiled warmly. His response was just as vague, and yet just as enough as Sora's.

" _I knew you would."_

* * *

Eraqus sat in solitude for what he thought would be the remainder of the long, dreary night. That was until he heard Sora's footsteps approach him.

"Are you having trouble sleeping again?"

His voice startled the Master. "Sora. What are you doing awake at this hour?"

"I'm...not tired. But what about you? What are you doing up?"

"I just came out for some fresh air. I'll be heading to bed soon - you should do the same."

Sora sat beside him. "You know, now that I remember Kairi…" He grinned. "I feel like I have to go see her. I told her I'd be back soon, but I don't know. It's been awhile. How long do you think she'd wait?"

Eraqus smiled softly. "I believe there will come a point when she gets tired of waiting and goes out looking for you herself."

This caused Sora to laugh. His laughter was a mixture of nervousness and agreement. "You're right…"

"I can see that you care deeply about her."

Sora nodded. "Of course!"

"You should tell her how you feel."

"What!? I...I don't know what you're talking abo-"

The man laughed lightly. "I don't recall young love being this complicated."

Sora's eyes lit up. "Have you ever been in love, Master Eraqus?" he asked, leaning forward excitedly anticipating a very interesting story.

Eraqus averted his eyes. "That...is a story for another day," he said instead.

"Aw, come on!"

"Now then," Eraqus said instead, and that was that. "How is your heart holding up now that you've recalled your light?"

Sora proudly pounded his chest in response. "I've never felt better!"

"Good," Eraqus muttered sleepily, nodding briefly.

Sora stood. "You know," he said. "You really shouldn't worry."

"I beg your pardon?"

Sora looked to the sky. "...I told you that I'd find a way."

Eraqus tensed when he realized what he was referring to.

"I can't tell you how yet, but it'll work. I know it will." Sora looked to him with a look of melancholy.

"Sora…"

The tone of Sora's voice abruptly changed back to the usual, cheerful twitter, but his eyes looked sad. "Well...tomorrow will be hard. Maybe it's better if I do get some sleep. You get some sleep too. Or maybe not so I can sleep in again tomorrow, I don't know. 'Night, Master Eraqus!"

He walked away before Eraqus could ask any questions.

Eraqus sat there, feeling strangely relaxed just as he did before after speaking with Ventus. He eventually stood.

Sora was right. There was no reason to worry, especially if he really had found a way to save his soul. If Sora really could find a way to save him...that meant that there would be a way to save Terra, Aqua, and Ventus too, eventually.

He walked to his bedroom and prepared for a good night's sleep.

Still, something seemed off. Why did Sora neglect to specify on the vessel he'd chosen? What exactly was it? Why did he seem so sad when he mentioned it?

No. Something was wrong. Perhaps Eraqus's insomnia would last another night.

* * *

On his way to his room, Sora stopped abruptly to close his eyes and think. There really was no other way, he told himself. The vessel would bring about a tragedy, but it would save Eraqus's soul.

That would be enough. It had to be. Even if it meant losing another name.


	13. Nobody's Embrace

**13: Nobody's Embrace**

Naminé spoke calmly, but she appeared visibly unsettled. "Riku, what will you do if you can't defeat Roxas? Will you really...give in to the darkness?"

"I'll do whatever it takes if it means Sora wakes up, Naminé," the blindfolded boy replied distantly as if he already accepted it.

She looked further conflicted. He looked indifferent, yet terrified.

"You have to promise that you won't leave Sora," she said abruptly as if the thought was troubling her all along.

This caught him by surprise. "...What?" he asked simply.

The pale girl rested a hand on the white pod before her. She looked to the sleeping Sora as she spoke to Riku. "He needs you. And I know that you need him too. You can't leave him. Even if you end up using the darkness, you have to be there for him."

"I can't let him down again," he said dryly.

Naminé tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She took a pause. "He'll forgive you, Riku. I know he will," she said.

Riku shook his head. "I can't ask him to."

Naminé turned to him with a look of utter devastation. "He's your best friend."

Riku turned away and said nothing.

"You'll be there when he wakes up, won't you?" Naminé asked.

Riku frowned as he turned back to her. "Naminé… Can I have a moment alone with him?" He spoke softly, suddenly.

"Sure, but...why?" Naminé asked quietly. She laced her hands together in front of herself nervously.

Riku stiffened. "I want to say goodbye to my best friend."

* * *

Naminé sat silently in the computer room as she waited for Riku to finish speaking with the sleeping boy. She was tense.

How would Sora respond to a sudden goodbye from his lifelong friend? Could he handle it? Why did Riku have to be so stubborn? Maybe there was still time to change his mind. Maybe, for Sora's sake, she could find a way to-

Riku, crestfallen, entered the computer room. "Let DiZ know that I left if you see him," he said plainly.

Naminé studied his solemn face. "Riku," she said hesitantly. "You're going to be there when Sora wakes up, no matter what, right?"

Riku turned away. "Take care of him, Naminé." Then, after lifting his hand, a dark corridor appeared before him.

Naminé flinched at the sight of it. What was Riku thinking? He knew what he was getting himself into, didn't he?

Naminé wanted to plead for him to stay, but she could not find the words to ask him to stop.

Neither spoke. Riku entered the corridor and vanished within seconds.

Naminé exhaled sharply. She hadn't realized that she'd been holding her breath that whole time. Then, she jumped up from her seat and ran back to Sora.

She needed to make sure he was okay. She needed to reassure him that Riku didn't really mean to say goodbye. That Riku was going to be alright. That he could overcome the darkness if he had to.

But before she could say anything to Sora, she stopped and froze and gazed at the man studying the sleeping boy in the white room.

"Naminé," the man said distantly. "Where is Riku?"

"You just missed him. He went to fight Roxas," Naminé answered, hugging her arm timidly. The man, DiZ, always made her feel so small, so insignificant.

The man shook his head. "That fool," he remarked. "Surely, he knows what will happen when he proves to be too weak to defeat the Nobody on his own."

"Riku doesn't mind giving in to the darkness if it means Sora wakes up," Naminé stated sadly. "There was no stopping him." She looked down.

"So be it, if it means Sora awakens," DiZ said coldly. He was quick to move on. "How is the boy progressing?"

"He has just one more thing from Castle Oblivion to forget," Naminé said quietly, as if the words hurt to say. "After that, he just needs to forget his dream and become one with Roxas. I can't help him with either of the two… He'll have to do it on his own, but I know that he can."

DiZ nodded. "Very well," he said. "I suppose, then, after today you will no longer be of use, Naminé."

"No…" Naminé said. "I suppose not."

* * *

Sora always looked so peaceful when he slept. He slept smiling faintly as if, deep down, he knew that everything would always be okay.

At least, that was Riku always said. But Naminé, she knew better.

She could tell when Sora was hurting. She knew that it pained him to forget so much. She could tell when his smile quivered even the slightest, or when he shook faintly, or when his breathing slowed for even a second.

It hurt her more than anything to see Sora like that. And she had only herself to blame. Why did she have to fall for the Organization's tricks and mess with Sora's memories to begin with? It was all because of her, that his heart was in shambles.

She wouldn't have done it if not for her unbearable loneliness. She was just always so alone. She couldn't take it. All she wanted was someone, Sora?, to be her friend. Sora just had _so many_ friends. Why couldn't she be one of them?

She just briefly shook her head. It was out of the question. It was just as DiZ said before: she was soon to be obsolete.

Naminé smiled weakly and spoke gently.

"Sora, it's almost time for you to forget me."

And Sora's breathing slowed.

* * *

" _How is he?"_

Naminé's hand, which held a brown crayon, momentarily froze upon hearing the stranger's voice. Then she continued to draw in her sketchpad upon realizing who the man was.

"He's almost ready to forget his last memory from Castle Oblivion," Naminé said calmly, but inside she felt sick to her stomach at the very thought of Sora forgetting her.

"And from there?"

"DiZ thinks it'll be a week before he can wake up." She didn't dare to lift her eyes from her drawing.

"I see."

"Riku," she said after placing the book on her lap. "You have to be there for him." She mustered up the courage to look up and saw a tall, hooded figure at the doorway.

" _Ansem_ ," the man corrected.

Naminé frowned and said nothing.

The man just chuckled bitterly.

* * *

Naminé, in an effort to combat loneliness, drew for hours. She couldn't stand to be in the same room as Sora anymore; just seeing him, knowing that she would just be _Nobody_ to him soon, hurt her in a way she never knew she could be hurt. It was strange: how could an empty vessel like herself feel pain?

Maybe she was mistaken. Maybe she wasn't feeling hurt. How could she? Perhaps it was just nothing at all.

* * *

The day was nearing its end. It was almost time. Naminé, however, had yet to accept that when Sora woke up, he wouldn't remember promising her that they would be friends for real.

She thought of Riku and how he said goodbye before. Maybe, she thought, she should have gone and said goodbye to Sora too. Maybe doing that, saying goodbye, would make it easier for both of them.

She entered his room slowly. "Sora," she said distantly.

She walked forward and took a long pause. "You're almost ready to forget me," she continued. "And I just...I wanted to say goodbye."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sora's hand tremble momentarily. He must have been having as much trouble forgetting her as she was anticipating being the one forgotten.

She could only hope that Sora wasn't alone in his dream. She could only hope that someone, _anyone_ , was there beside him embracing him the way she could not.

She closed her eyes. "I...don't know how to say goodbye," she admitted. "I've never had to before."

There was a ringing sound of silence.

"You'll be better, without me in your heart," Naminé forced out, almost as if in an attempt to persuade herself. "I don't think I ever really belonged in anyone's heart. I'm sorry for forcing myself into yours."

The sleeping boy was still.

She took one last, long look at him.

"You'll forget me," Naminé continued, in a soothing voice. "But _I'll_ never forget _you_ , Sora."

She thought of her own memories of the boy, and of how he cared deeply for her even after finding out what she did to him.

She placed a hand on his pod and smiled. "Thank you, Sora, for everything."

That would have to be her goodbye.

Just that.

 _Thank you._

It seemed fitting, somehow for her farewell to be a thank you.

Moments later, Naminé saw what Riku always saw: Sora slept as if he hadn't a care in the world.

He had forgotten her.

Still, she stayed with him simply because she could no longer deny that she, for a lack of better words, loved him all along.

* * *

 **A/N: I tried something** _ **very**_ **different for this chapter. See, throughout this entire story, we saw Sora struggle to forget, but we've never actually seen the struggle someone faced** _ **knowing**_ **that they're meant to be forgotten. (Xion doesn't really count because she already** _ **accepted**_ **the concept of being forgotten.) I think both struggles, forgetting and** _ **being**_ **forgotten, are essential to understand in this story. Hopefully this explains why I chose to write this chapter the way I did focusing on Namine's struggle rather than Sora's.  
**

 **Additionally, please keep in mind that the last sentence is not implying that Naminé was** _ **in**_ **love with Sora; she** _ **loved him.**_ **The two phrases have entirely different meanings. I feel like people tend to just brush over Sora and Namine's relationship when there is just so much _depth_ there.  
**

 **Please leave your thoughts in the reviews below. I always love to hear them. Also, I apologize for the late update.  
**


	14. Legends

**The First Day: Legends**

Sora was getting frustrated.

" _Master Eraqus_ -"

"-Again."

Sora gave his Master a face.

"Go on," Eraqus insisted as he crossed one leg over the other. "Again."

"I've tried so many times already," Sora childishly stated as he waved his Keyblade around like a toy sword. "I just can't do it."

Eraqus brought a hand to his cheek. "Do I not recall you saying that it would be a...'piece of cake?'"

Sora wiped the sweat from his forehead before taking a deep breath. Then, he just sighed. Exasperated, he lowered his Keyblade. He fanned himself halfheartedly with the wave of his hand.

Eraqus stood suddenly. "Why don't we start with something more basic?" he suggested as he walked over.

"Okay," Sora agreed, despite wanting to give up altogether at that point. "Like what?"

"Confetti," Eraqus said, causing Sora to grin widely.

"Okay!" Sora exclaimed, suddenly motivated again. "How do I make it?"

The Master beckoned his own Keyblade. Once it was in his hand, he lifted it slowly. Sora, eager to learn, mirrored his every movement.

"Producing confetti is similar to producing lightning," Eraqus explained as he raised his Keyblade, and Sora did the same. "You see, both confetti and lightning occur in abrupt increments. It's just that, rather than creating a single bolt of power as you would with thunder magic, you must condense the power into small, multiple sources." He thrusted his Keyblade slightly, and dozens of multicolored, glittery confetti pieces shot out. "Like so," Eraqus said with a smile.

Sora gazed at the confetti with absolute, endless wonder. Then he, doing as he saw Eraqus do, thrusted his Keyblade slightly. But when he did so, rather than confetti, a sudden surge of lightning escaped his Keyblade. The intense surge of power sent him to the ground with a startled scream. The lightning traveled upwards into the sky before eventually fading away.

Sora threw his Keyblade aside and lay on the ground in agony.

"Sora, come now," Eraqus said as he offered him a hand. "Do not be childish."

"If I can't even make confetti, how will I ever be able to make fireworks?" Sora groaned as he rubbed his entire face in frustration.

"You just need more practice," Eraqus insisted as he handed his Keyblade back to him. "Now try again."

Sora sat up. "How long did this take your other students to learn this?" he demanded.

Eraqus considered it. All three of them learned how to produce not only confetti, but fireworks, relatively easily. "Every student is different, Sora," Eraqus said, dodging the question. "There is no reason to compare. Now stand up and try again."

Sora took his Master's hand and stood. He nodded. "Alright, Master," he agreed. "One more time!" He made an excited fist.

"This time, remember to condense the power," Eraqus reminded gently. "Not too much, Sora. And remember, this is not a recommended battle technique, but rather for recreational use."

Sora nodded. "Got it!" he said.

Eraqus took a step back, just for precaution. "Go on then," he instructed.

Sora closed his eyes. He'd been out there all afternoon trying to make fireworks appear out of his Keyblade. The _least_ he could do was make confetti. Even if it _was_ all just a dream, and he _did_ wake up forgetting how to make it, at least he would know that he _could_.

Feeling more confident than ever after an internal pep talk, Sora opened his eyes and lifted his Keyblade to the sky while simultaneously exclaiming, "Confetti!"

There was a dramatic pause before confetti, just _one_ confetti, a shred, if you will, exploded into the air as if coming out of a canon. The single confetti piece, moving at rapid velocity, reached an incredibly high altitude before it began to gently fall back down.

"Huh?" Sora wondered as he stared at the single confetti shred. Then, as if coming to a realization, he straightened his slightly tilted Keyblade. And when he did so, the single confetti piece exploded midair into hundreds of smaller pieces of all colors that all came falling down at them like raindrops.

Eraqus, who couldn't even begin to comprehend what he just witnessed, simply smiled. "Well done, Sora," he said as he dusted some confetti off his shoulder.

"I did it!" Sora said victoriously, and then he laughed. "Did you see that? I made confetti!" And there was shiny pieces of it stuck in the spikes of his hair when he said it.

Eraqus nodded. "Do you still wish to make fireworks as well?"

Sora made a face. Of _course_ he did.

" _It'll be a piece of cake!"_

* * *

"I was thinking about what Riku told me yesterday," Sora began as he twiddled around with his Keyblade. "He told me that I'd be waking up in about a week. That means...in about a week, I can find him, and me and him can _finally_ go back home to Kairi." He smiled at the thought.

"You must miss them," Eraqus commented, and he thought of how much he missed his students.

"Yeah," Sora answered, looking down. He thought of them, of his dear friends, and of their dear home. Then, excitedly, he said, "Back home on my islands, there's this tree that has a bunch of star shaped fruit. There's a legend that goes along with it too." He cleared his throat. "They say that if you share one with somebody, your destinies become intertwined, and you become a part of each other's lives no matter what."

Eraqus shot Sora a quick, surprised glance. "The legend of the paopu fruit," he remarked.

This caught Sora off guard. "You recognize the story?" There was a mix of confusion and enthusiasm in his voice.

Eraqus simply nodded. "An old friend of mine told me that same legend long ago." He thought of Xehanort and felt cold.

"Was your friend from my islands too?" Sora asked curiously.

"I suppose he _was_ from your homeworld," Eraqus mumbled, pondering momentarily, but deeming it mere coincidence.

"I wonder if the legend is true," Sora thought out loud. "What do you think?"

Eraqus took a pause to think. "I like to believe that it is," he said softly.

The response seemed to satisfy Sora to a great extent. "I do too," he said as he brought his hands behind the back of his head and thought of a certain redhead.

But as soon as Sora began to lose himself in his daydreams, Eraqus stood.

"Break time over," he announced. And without staying to listen to Sora protest, the Master walked back to the courtyard.

Sora closed his eyes for a prolonged moment before jumping up and scrambling after him.

* * *

"Fireworks!"

Bursts of fire.

Burnt confetti, even.

But no fireworks.

" _Fireworks_!"

More bursts of fire.

Traces of simmered confetti.

And still no fireworks.

Repeat.

As the determined young boy kept trying, the patient Master watched and waited, only inputting advice every now and then. The evening was getting cooler and darker, and in the cool darkness, fireflies emerged and faintly illuminated the world.

Sora eventually stopped trying to make fireworks to watch as a single firefly landed on his shoulder. He was still and careful so as not to scare it away.

"Back at the islands," Sora began as the firefly flickered. "Me and my friends used to catch fireflies in the summer."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," Sora explained. Then, as if being reminded of something, he laughed out loud, and the firefly flew away. "I don't know why I remembered this, but this one summer, me, Riku and Kairi were out playing in my mom's garden. Me and Riku started arguing about stuff, and the only way to settle it was for me to eat dirt."

Eraqus raised an eyebrow. "And did you? Eat dirt?"

Sora crossed his arms and closed his eyes as if to reflect. "No. There was a worm in the handful of dirt I picked up, so I ended up just spitting it all out."

"You nearly ate a live worm?"

Sora nodded. "Almost."

Eraqus chuckled at the thought.

Sora rested his Keyblade over his shoulder. "I don't know why I started thinking so much about the islands all of a sudden," he mused. "It feels like everything I see reminds me of home lately."

Eraqus's face now appeared somber. "Your heart is in the process of remembering what's most important to you before waking up in a week or so. Your homeworld and friends must play a large role in who you are."

Sora desummoned his Keyblade before walking over and sitting beside the old Master.

"You're giving up?" Eraqus asked, perplexed.

"No," Sora said, "I'll try again tomorrow." He got comfortable in his seat. "Fireworks would scare away the fireflies anyway," he added.

Eraqus soon lost himself in his thoughts, and Sora soon lost himself in his memories of the islands and of his friends.

Sora's most distant memory was one of his most treasured ones. Why he thought of it specifically then, he wasn't certain. Perhaps it was due in part to Riku saying goodbye to him just the day before, or perhaps Sora just missed his best friend.

" _Why do you keep following me?"_

" _My mommy said that I should play with you because you're alone. I'm Sora, and I like mangos. What's your name? Do you like mangos?"_

" _I like being alone. You don't have to play with me."_

" _What? But why? Nobody likes being alone. Mommy says that-"_

" _I like it, sometimes. Like when I need to think."_

" _Hm, I guess that's okay then. But I still don't know your name. And I still don't know if you like mangos or not!"_

" _My name's Riku. And, you know what, Sora?"_

" _What?"_

" _...I_ do _like mangos."_

A gasp. " _Really!?"_

"Do you ever think of your home?" Sora eventually asked when the memory faded.

Eraqus paused. "This _is_ my home, Sora."

"I meant your homeworld," Sora clarified. "Where you grew up."

"Why the sudden interest?" The Master's voice was distant.

Sora brought a hand to his chin in thought. "I just...I realized that even after all this time, I still don't know that much about you," he explained thoughtfully. "And I figured that knowing about your homeworld would be a great start."

"Hm," Eraqus said quietly, neglecting to say anything more.

Sora, who didn't want to bring up the unanswered question a second time, instead asked, "You've probably been to a lot of different worlds. Have you ever been to mine?"

Eraqus's response was, to put it frankly, underwhelming. " _Once_."

Still, his unenthusiastic response was enough to stir further interest. "How was it?" Sora asked.

Eraqus thought back to his only visit to Destiny Islands. He was with Xehanort at the time. Throughout the entirety of the visit, Xehanort bitterly pointed out how small everything was. He described it as a _prison_ , of all things. Meanwhile, Eraqus believed the world to be one of the most beautiful he'd ever visited.

" _What are those star shaped fruit over there?"_

" _That's the paopu fruit. See, supposedly, if two people share one, their destinies become intertwined, and they remain a part of each other's lives no matter what."_

" _That sounds amazing."_

" _Don't make me laugh. You know it's just a story, Eraqus. There's nothing special about sharing a fruit with someone. There's nothing special about this...this prison."_

" _Even if it isn't true, the legend itself is still an admirable one."_

" _You think so?"_

" _I do."_

" _Eraqus…"_

" _Yes, Xehanort?"_

" _You're a big sap."_

" _There's nothing wrong with that."_

" _I beg to differ."_

" _Fine then. I'm a big 'sap' and there are many things wrong with that. Satisfied?"_

" _Very. Look, just to humor you…"_

" _What are you doing?"_

" _...Catch!"_

" _Are you...serious?"_

" _Go on, take a bite."_

" _You just told me that the legend wasn't true. Now you're suggesting that we share one?"_

" _It's_ not _true… Let's do it anyway."_

" _I'm afraid I don't understand."_

" _Just...come on, Eraqus! It doesn't hurt to try."_

" _Oh, I see… You don't believe in it, but you_ want _to."_

A pause.

" _You're an even bigger sap than me, Xehanort, but fine."_

" _Hm, then again, if by some miracle this_ does _work, do I really want to be stuck with you for the rest of my life?"_

" _You did it again. You ruined a perfectly good moment. Didn't we talk about this?"_

" _Yen Sid had it coming. Look, just hurry it up, will you?"_

" _Alright. Let's...let's try it."_

"Master Eraqus?"

"Hm?" Eraqus looked back to Sora.

"You just sort of drifted away for awhile," he explained.

"Oh," Eraqus said. "My apologies. I was just...lost in thought."

Sora nodded. "That's okay." He stared up at the sky. "So...what about your friends? What were they like?"

"Why are you so intent on knowing more about my past?" Eraqus asked in return, defensively, almost.

Sora gave a small shrug. "I already told you that I'm just curious."

Eraqus sighed. Reluctantly, he said, "My closest friend was always so...lost. His heart was exceptionally strong, but he was obsessed with a legend of the past when he should have been channeling all of that passion into bettering the future of the worlds." Eraqus averted his eyes from Sora, who looked at him sadly. He went on. "It was our duty, as Keyblade wielders, to protect the light of the worlds, but he strayed from that path time and time again. And time and time again...I forgave him." Eraqus just looked at the fireflies.

"Your friend reminds me of Riku," Sora stated softly.

Eraqus did not speak. From what he could tell, and from how fondly Sora always spoke of Riku, Riku and Xehanort were nothing alike. Riku still had a chance, but Xehanort was too far gone.

"I think your friend will come around eventually," Sora went on optimistically. "I mean, it sounds like you and him were really close. Even if the deepest darkness controls him, deep down there's a light that never goes out. That light will remind him of you, and of how much you really care about him."

"Hm," Eraqus said quietly, not wanting to agree, but not wanting to disagree either.

Sora stood and stretched his arms while yawning. "I'm going to bed for now. What's the plan for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Tomorrow?" Eraqus echoed, still entranced by the events of the distant past. "Ah, yes, tomorrow… I expect to see you ready bright and early in the courtyard to continue your fireworks lesson. Afterwards, I have a special lesson planned."

This caught Sora's interest. "A special lesson?"

Eraqus gave a simple nod and said no more. "Good night, Sora."

The boy, looking slightly disappointed to have to wait, accepted it regardless. "Okay. Good night, Master Eraqus," he said before walking off.

Meanwhile, Eraqus remained, and the foggy memory he previously recalled continued.

" _How'd you get off this island, anyway?"_

" _Doesn't matter."_

" _I just don't understand why you hate this world so much."_

" _I already told you. It's a prison."_

" _If my world wasn't lost to darkness, I would visit it often. But you, your world is still_ here _, and yet this is your first time since leaving that you've come back. And you only agreed to come because I asked you to show it to me."_

" _Eraqus…"_

" _You should consider yourself lucky that you...that you still have your home."_

" _This isn't my_ home _, Eraqus! I despise this world. If I could, I would destroy it myself."_

" _How can you say that?"_

" _You just don't understand."_

" _No, Xehanort. I think that_ you _don't understand."_

" _You're a fool, Eraqus."_

" _You're the only fool here."_

There was a prolonged moment of bitter silence.

" _Perhaps it's better that we didn't share it, in the end, Eraqus."_

" _...I...suppose so."_

" _It's only an irrelevant, old legend, anyway."_

" _I can think of another irrelevant, old legend you never shut up about."_

" _...That's_ different _, Eraqus."_

" _I was only joking."_

" _No. You truly don't understand. You truly...know nothing."_

" _Xehanort-"_

" _One who knows nothing...can understand nothing."_

Inside the castle, Sora sat at the foot of his bed and stared down at the chain link in his hand. That particular chain link was one he picked at random from his large pile; he hadn't a clue as to what forgotten memory it possibly could have been. Was it a memory of a person? A place? A thing? Was it a memory he could do without? Could he risk losing the memory, whatever it was, all just to test his theory?

He could only hope that the memory was one he did not need in case something were to happen to it. He would rather not touch the memories at all, but there was no other way to see if _it_ would work.

Sora looked to the doorway. "Master Eraqus?" he called out, just to ensure that the man wasn't around to stop him.

When he received no response, his mind was made up. He gently closed the door.

Then he placed the chain link to the side and summoned his Keyblade.

He stood bravely and aimed the weapon at the chain link. When he did, a wave of light fled from the Keyblade and raced to the link. The light surrounded it in a faint, blue sphere and ascended it into the air.

Then Sora did as he would if unlocking a keyhole. He pointed to the floating sphere with the Keyblade until a bright flash of white blinded him.

He only realized that he closed his eyes when he had to open them. And when he did open them, he wasn't surprised to see the memory replay itself before him, for that was what he assumed would happen first.

The memory, as far as Sora could tell, was uneventful. It was simply him and Donald and Goofy fighting some Heartless beside a white staircase composed of three single steps.

He fought on beside Donald and Goofy for some time, swinging at the leaping shadows as they came. He felt such overwhelming nostalgia, such intense dejá vù.

Then, abruptly, the world around him became blurry and distorted. Everything, Donald, Goofy, the Heartless, the staircase, faded away until Sora was left standing in nothingness.

Still holding his Keyblade firmly, he looked around in confusion. Then, as if on cue, the world gradually reshaped itself.

The staircase became a dark, spiraling one that extended into infinity. Donald and Goofy stood beside Sora as if they never left to begin with, but their faces were now solemn instead of lighthearted as they once were. There were so many more shadows now, leaping and clawing at Sora and his companions.

Sora, having no other choice, fought back as he and Donald and Goofy aimlessly ran forward. There were so many Heartless, and there seemed to be no real destination, but the trio pressed on regardless.

As they ran forward, directions changed. When Goofy ran forward, Donald ran in the other direction, and Sora somehow ended up upside down the staircase itself. They separated and then reunited and then separated again. At one point, Sora could have sworn that he even passed by Riku, who seemed to be running as aimlessly as he was for the short lived moment that he saw him.

As Sora went on, a new feeling of hopelessness began to sink in. He was on the verge of giving up, but an inner stubbornness wouldn't let him. He continued on.

Time stopped. Heartless, in the midst of fading away, froze in midair. Donald, who was previously casting thundaga, was motionless, magic and all. As was Goofy, who was previously blocking a shadow with his shield. Sora, almost as if unaware, went on running and swinging at the frozen Heartless that he encountered.

Still, his motion eventually slowed until it took a monumental amount of effort just to take a single step. Then, he too, froze with the world and with time.

Then a growing, endless darkness swiftly traveled up the spiral staircase engulfing everything as it did.

Sora fearfully closed his eyes, unable to move. The darkness took him and everything until the world was black like the night sky devoid of stars.

But the Keyblade was still in Sora's hand. And it was the Keyblade and its light that fought back the darkness. It was the Keyblade and its light that saved him and brought him back to his bedroom in the Land of Departure.

He gasped for air and stumbled when he returned. Once composed, he looked wearily over to the chain link that still floated in the air.

The chain link was no longer a metallic grey. Now it was transparent and almost appeared to be made of crystal. There was a soft, white glow around it.

Sora reached out for it with great caution. When he held it, everything that he just lived through came back in a flash. First he saw the original memory, and then the dark distortion of it. It was almost too much for him to bear, seeing it pass by so quickly.

Once the memory flashed by, the soft glow around the crystallized chain link dimmed until it was gone entirely. The chain link then fell into Sora's outstretched hand like a dead weight.

Sora ran his thumb across the empty chain link. The air around him was dense. His heart ached. He attempted to calm himself, but all he found himself doing was wondering what just happened.

He unlocked the forgotten memory. Then what? He couldn't remember.

The simple truth was that there wasn't anything _to_ remember. Because, by unlocking the forgotten memory, and by living through it and its distortion, the memory itself was wiped from existence.

Sora, shaking a bit, concentrated deeply. He could not recall what it was that he lost, but he _knew_ that it was _something_. Whatever memory once inside that little chain link...it was lost forever.

That memory would never come back because it no longer existed. Forgotten memories still existed. Lost memories _didn't_.

That alone startled Sora so much that his trembling hand dropped the empty chain link.

And when it hit the ground, it shattered upon impact.

* * *

 _A/N:_

All will make sense when the time comes. I assure you! ;)

Shoutouts to people who contributed with ideas for this chapter

 **Guest:** Legend of the paopu fruit; How Sora met Riku

 **Painted With a Palette:** Sora starts remembering things; Spiral/upside down staircase thingy in KH2 opening

 **Guest:** Sora asking too many questions

Idea requests still open. (Review or PM me!) And if you didn't see your idea in this chapter, expect to see it at a later time! I'm trying to include as many as I can and so far have at least one of everyone's planned out. I can always use more though!

Have a wonderful day everyone, and as always, thank you for reading.

Also, please don't think that I was implying a romantic relationship between Xehanort and Eraqus. The legend implies an unbreakable connection; we think of it to serve solely a romantic purpose because that's how the KH1 kids saw it... but all the legend and what it says never mentions romance, only an unbreakable connection.


	15. Happy Endings

**The Second Day: Happy Endings**

Eraqus's plans for the day were, quite frankly, ruined. On cue, there was an illuminating streak of lightning outside as if to remind him of it. A roar of thunder followed. He'd have to reschedule the day's outdoor lesson plan until the following day.

"Good morning, Master Eraqus."

Eraqus turned to the approaching boy who he hadn't anticipated waking up so early. "Good morning, Sora."

"A storm…" Sora mumbled to himself as he faced the stained glass window depicting two Keyblade wielders in battle.

"Yes, and because of it, I have no other choice but to postpone the lesson until tomorrow," Eraqus explained as he closed his eyes in a pensive state.

"I'm sorry, Master," Sora said as he briefly looked over his shoulder to face him. Then he turned back to watch the raindrops race each other down the windowpane. "I think the storm came because of me."

Eraqus opened his eyes, slightly concerned and overly curious. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

The sound of the rain intensified. Sora had to raise his voice just to be heard. "It's just that, when I woke up today, I remembered the time I lost my world to darkness. There was a storm, kind of like this one, and…" He lowered his gaze once trailing away.

Eraqus's eyes softened. He wanted to say something, to find a way to console his student, but what was there to say? He too was trying to overcome the distant, yet vivid memories of losing his own home to the darkness.

"But the islands were restored," Sora explained, brightening. "Kairi's back there now, waiting for me and for Riku to come home." He smiled and looked to Eraqus. "I can't wait for us to be together again."

"You'll be with them soon," Eraqus gently reminded him.

"Yeah," Sora said, looking hopeful at just the thought of it.

"Now then," Eraqus announced as he turned back his attention to the violent storm outside. "Whatever shall we do today?"

"I guess making fireworks is out of the question," Sora joked. He brought his hands behind his head and lightly swayed from side to side in thought.

The old Master thought for some time. "A long time ago, when the weather conditions were unfavorable, my students and I would sit around the fireplace and tell each other stories . Would you like to do that?" There was a certain, almost childlike twinkle in Eraqus's eyes when he mentioned it. It caught Sora off guard, but he didn't make much of it.

"That sounds like fun," Sora agreed as he brought his hands down from his head to his side.

Eraqus gestured for Sora to follow. "Come," he said as the two walked into the hallway.

As they walked down a narrow corridor, there was a sort of silence between them, save for their footsteps, and the patter of rain outside.

When the pair eventually passed by Sora's room, Eraqus was quick to see, through the crack of the ajar door, the shine of a single shard of glass lying on the ground.

Eraqus looked to Sora briefly upon noticing it. "You broke something yesterday?" he asked calmly as he walked on. He took notice of the way Sora stiffened upon being reminded of it, of the lost memory he hadn't thoroughly cleaned up.

"Yeah," Sora said, saying no more.

It was unclear whether or not Eraqus was satisfied with the response. "Be sure to pick up all the glass then."

And the two walked on.

* * *

It was the first time Sora noticed how large the castle really was. There seemed to be even more rooms than the castle at Hollow Bastion. And mainly, he noticed, the rooms they passed were locked. Why? He thought of asking, but at the last second his voice failed him as if telling him it was simply better not to.

Eventually, Eraqus led him to a medium sized, ancient looking wooden door with intricate swirl carvings on its sides. This room was, as the others, locked. It felt surreal, almost, as if the door just appeared out of thin air.

Eraqus opened the door once unlocking it and stepped inside, prompting Sora to do the same.

Inside, the walls were covered with murals that, judging by the simplistic nature and small hand prints scattered here and there, appeared to be painted by children. The murals seemed to be depicting, as far as Sora could tell, the different worlds. On the ceiling was a painting of a bright afternoon sky with a heart shaped moon hidden behind puffy, cumulous clouds.

Lining the walls were several bookcases holding various volumes of both storybooks and encyclopedias. Then Sora took note of the large, regal fireplace in front of three crimson seats. The brick fireplace, to his surprise, was already lit; fire crackled gently.

"I cannot recall the last time I entered this room," Eraqus mused aloud as he took a seat and rested an elbow on the armrest and his hand below his chin.

Sora gazed at the murals. "Did your students paint these?"

Eraqus nodded. "Terra and Aqua, when they were younger. You see, the walls used to be white and bland," and as he explained, Sora slowly touched the wall in a state of deep observance, "They decided that it would be appropriate to paint the worlds I told them so many stories about with the anticipation that they too would one day explore them as Keyblade Masters."

Sora sat across from Eraqus after closely examining the careful, yet careless paint strokes on the walls. "Why did you stop coming here?"

Eraqus stared into the fire solemnly. "When Ventus first came to us, I thought it unwise to encourage him in any way to leave this world."

Sora saddened. Was that why other doors were locked? To keep Ventus out of certain rooms? Rooms that would otherwise encourage him to leave the world? "Why?"

"It was for his own well being. You know," Eraqus began, slyly changing the topic. "That fire," and he gestured to it, "has been burning for as long as I can remember. When I was first appointed guardian of this world, it was already lit. And to this day, even in your dream, it still is. My theory is that an ancient, powerful Keyblade wielder lit it with a special type of magic."

Sora looked into the bright, dancing flames. "You're the guardian of this world?"

"Yes. This world is what you can consider a world in between. That is, it is in between the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness. It is my job to protect this neutral ground that others would otherwise abuse." Eraqus paused to reflect. "It _was_ my job," he corrected.

Sora turned from the fire back to the Master.

"There are many worlds, Sora," Eraqus said softly, and the sizzle of fire and rhythm of rain seemed to quiet as if giving him the opportunity to tell his story. "And all those worlds are born in darkness. This world is no exception. It was a world born from darkness. Over time, however, the darkness shifted away, and the light inched closer until the world was in between both.

"As the name implies, it became known as The Land of Departure due to the fact that it became a temporary refuge for weary travelers that left as abruptly as they arrived. Everyone came only to depart. The first guardian of this world was very lonely because of this. All she knew was solitude.

"The world was not always as beautiful as it is today. Did you know that before, all of the walls were white? That outside, it was a barren wasteland? The solitude was too much, and the world was so vast and empty. The Ancient Master knew that it was her duty to stay, but her heart ached to leave. So it did."

Sora gasped a bit. "Her heart...left?"

"That is correct," Eraqus explained. "She, while heartless, eventually took in a student and began the cycle I am a part of."

"But what happened to her heart?" Sora asked.

"Nobody knows," Eraqus said. "It is hard to tell whether or not the story is even true. It's a story that's been passed down from Master to Master, so perhaps it's been skewed in one way or another since then."

Sora crossed his arms in thought. "I hope that she was able to find her heart in the end."

"Or perhaps she never lost it to begin with," Eraqus offered.

"I lost my heart once," Sora mentioned, almost casually.

Had Eraqus been drinking something, he would have spit it out in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

Sora nodded. "It was the only way to save Kairi."

Eraqus just looked to him with a puzzled expression. "I'm afraid I don't understand." He felt as though he was missing something.

Sora stared up at the painted ceiling as if reminiscing. "I had Kairi's heart inside me all along," he further explained. "It happened during the storm, I think. The only way for it to return to her was for me to release it. And when I did, I lost my own. All that was left of me was a Heartless." He rested a hand on his chest. "When I was lost in the darkness, Kairi's light brought me back. That's all I could really remember. That, and Donald mistaking me for any other Heartless." He laughed softly after being reminded of the duck's feeble attempts to get him to "get lost."

Eraqus stroked his chin. "Fascinating. Her light alone revived you…"

Sora nodded and grinned. "I've probably forgotten a lot of things by now, but I'll never forget that." He closed his eyes and imagined her. She really was always there for him, even when they were worlds apart.

"It is strange, the way the heart works. I once met a wise man studying the ways of the heart," Eraqus said. "I only had a brief encounter with him, but he was an intriguing character with an abundance of interesting data and theories. He was studying the effects of darkness in the heart. I do wish I hadn't lost contact with him. I believe he was onto something."

At the mention of this wise man, Sora momentarily thought of the man in red he spoke with before, but he gave no indication that he recognized him. He looked back into the fire and thought back to what the man said about finding a vessel to hold Eraqus's soul. He closed his eyes as if coming to terms with what would have to happen.

Eraqus, taking notice of Sora's newfound reflective state, looked into the fire. "Terra and Aqua used to criticize my fire theory for not being creative enough," he said in a tone that lightly mocked himself. "So they came up with alternative origins. Terra insisted that a dragon lit the fire in the beginning of time while Aqua said that perhaps it was the Ancient Master's heart all along."

Sora's serious gaze relaxed. "I would like to meet Terra and Aqua one day," he voiced aloud for the first time. "And Ven too. The four of you."

The old Master nodded. "If possible, I would like to meet you again too," he said.

"We'll meet again," Sora said in an assuring voice. "We won't remember each other, but some part of you might remember me." He smiled. "But once I do forget you entirely, you can tell me the story of this world for a second time."

Eraqus was quick to catch the strange, precise wording Sora used. And why did it sound like Sora was saying goodbye, all of sudden? So prematurely?

Eraqus shifted slightly in his seat. "Is this your farewell?" he dared to ask. He was never any good at saying goodbye. He needed time to prepare himself for it.

Sora averted his eyes. "No," he said, but he sounded uncertain himself. "I'm just thinking out loud, I guess."

The rain was heavy.

"When the day does come," Sora began, and he quietly counted the remaining days with his fingers, "Let's _not_ say goodbye. Let's just...not mention it at all."

The Master appeared confused. "You do not wish to acknowledge it?"

Sora simply shook his head, offering no particular explanation.

Eraqus eventually nodded in agreement. Perhaps no explanation was needed.

* * *

"-And then I finally collected my share of mushrooms. When I got to Kairi to give them to her, we already had more than enough because Riku decided to pick up the slack - just to mess with me and impress Kairi! I would have gotten them to her sooner, but I fell asleep by the beach earlier that day. So when Kairi told me we had enough mushrooms, I just tossed mine into the ocean. She looked at me like I was crazy! And Riku was just in the distance laughing at me."

" _Sora…_ " Eraqus was in disbelief.

"Hm?" Sora asked, unaware of the Master's state of disapproval.

"You three...did you three have any clue as to what you were doing?" Eraqus gasped. "Did you truly believe you could get to another _world_ on a tiny raft surviving off... _mushrooms_?"

Sora blinked. When he said it like _that_ …

"Did you…" Eraqus was in shock. "Did you three even bother to cook the eggs and fish, or did you anticipate eating them _raw_?"

Sora scratched his cheek. "Well…"

Eraqus shook his head. "You didn't test the raft out the day before, did you? You just built it and expected it to float."

"There wasn't time for that. Riku wanted to leave immediately," Sora insisted, somewhat defensively.

Eraqus raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You had time to fight over what to name it, but no time to ensure it would work?"

Sora erupted in laughter. Eraqus had a point. "We would have thought of something else if it didn't work."

Eraqus just smiled. The sheer impulsivity of it all perplexed him, but they were, after all, just children at the time. "But why were you so eager to leave?" he asked.

"Kairi came from another world," Sora explained. "We wanted to see her homeworld. Hers, and any others out there." He looked up. "But I think there was always something Riku was keeping from us. I don't know what, but there was something. There had to be."

"Some people just can't help but feel trapped confined to a single world upon discovering the existence of others," Eraqus said. "Perhaps Riku felt trapped."

"Yeah," Sora eventually said, with an unreadable expression. "Maybe."

* * *

"You know," Sora spoke suddenly. "For a second, I forgot that this was a dream. I don't even think that I remember falling asleep to begin with."

"Good," Eraqus said as he flipped a page of the book in his lap. He didn't look up from the pages when he said it. "That's progress."

* * *

The storm had yet to subside.

Sora, who'd been silent for some time as Eraqus read independently, finally spoke when the Master finished reading. It seemed as if he had been waiting for him to finish his book just to ask. "Why didn't you want Ventus leaving this world?" he asked.

Eraqus was surprised that such a topic hadn't left Sora's mind, even after so much time. "Sora," he said patiently. "I already told you. It was for his own well being."

Sora, dissatisfied, crossed his arms. "You were the one to tell me that some people feel trapped when they're confined to one world. You don't think Ventus felt that way at all?" His voice was calm, but there was a certain fire in his eyes.

Eraqus averted his gaze. "Sora...I needed to protect him, and I needed to protect the worlds. The only way to do both was to keep Ventus where I could keep an eye on him."

Sora looked confused. "What did he have to do with the worlds?"

"It is a long story, Sora," the Master explained.

"Isn't this the room to tell stories in?" Sora asked, smiling encouragingly.

Eraqus hadn't expected that. He paused. "I suppose it is."

"Well, if you want to tell it, I'm here to listen," Sora said, getting comfortable in his seat.

Thunder roared.

Eraqus considered it. Perhaps it would be better to finally let it out rather than bottle it inside his heart. And who better to tell it to than Sora, the boy who would only wake up forgetting it anyway?

"Be aware, Sora," Eraqus said quietly. "That this story does not result in a happy ending."

Sora nodded hesitantly.

Eraqus stroked his chin. "I had given Terra and Aqua the day off because I was expecting a visitor, an old friend of mine. When he came, I was surprised to see that he'd come with a boy. He told me that this boy was special. The boy's name was Ventus. He was able to wield the Keyblade.

"But as soon as I saw Ventus, I knew that something was wrong. He had a blank expression. He did not speak. I don't think he _could_. And his heart. I sensed nothing...but pure light."

"Pure light?"

"Yes. There should be only seven hearts of pure light - the seven princesses. Why then, was Ventus's heart pure light? Where was his darkness?

"The man that brought Ventus to me, a fellow Keyblade Master, insisted that I take the 'broken boy' as my student. If not, he said, he'd find _other_ means of disposing of him. How could I deny Ventus then?

"Still, I knew to be incredibly cautious. Not necessarily of Ventus, but of the man. You see, this man has always been obsessed with an ancient legend - the legend of The Keyblade Wars. During this time, an ultimate weapon, the X-blade, was forged. This man wished to reforge this terrible weapon to use it to plunge the worlds into endless darkness.

"To forge the X-blade, pure light and pure darkness must clash. I came to the conclusion that the man had somehow stripped Ventus of his darkness. That Ventus's pure darkness became its own person. That the man planned for them both to fight and forge the X-blade. I think that the man was waiting for Ventus to grow stronger before having them fight.

"But I refused to let it happen, if that were the case. I took in Ventus as my own with the intention of keeping him away from the man. I did not anticipate Ventus becoming someone so dear to my heart in the process."

"So you wanted to keep Ventus in this world so that he wouldn't forge the X-blade," Sora said thoughtfully.

Eraqus nodded. "Precisely. It worked well for a long time, until… One thing led to another, and Ventus left the world. I suppose it is as the name of the world implies. All who come to this world inevitably _depart_.

"I sent Master Aqua after him, but even she could not persuade him to return. I would have gone after him myself, but I could not abandon my duty as the world's guardian, especially in a potential crisis.

"When Ventus eventually returned alone, I was surprised. I thought I'd never see him again. But he was angry. He referred to himself as a prisoner, of all things. And he revealed to me that he knew of his purpose in forging the X-blade. That was when my suspicions were ultimately confirmed. My old friend was, in fact, trying to upset the balance of all the worlds.

"I had grown to love Ventus, but I made the choice to be a Keyblade Master above all else. I had to protect the worlds. I had to stop my old friend. It was my duty. To fulfill that duty, Ventus simply could not exist."

Sora's eyes gradually widened with fear.

"...I fought Ventus with the intention to destroy him," Eraqus finished. He looked utterly ashamed. "It was the only way."

" _Did_ you… _?"_

Eraqus only shook his head. "I was stopped."

Sora didn't know what to say. Eventually, he asked, " _Would_ you?"

Eraqus said nothing.

The wind howled.

Sora shook faintly. "What happened next?" he asked bravely.

"I cannot recall," Eraqus said, burying his face in his hands in agony.

Sora thought for a long moment. "Master Eraqus," he said seriously. "You were wrong."

The fire momentarily intensified.

Eraqus agreed. "You are right. I was mad to raise my weapon at my student. What kind of teacher...raises their weapon at their student? Ventus did no wrong. He did not deserve it. I don't know what I was thinking. I just wish that there was some way to explain to him why. And to apologize. Understandably, he wouldn't forgive me, but I still wish to say it…" He just shook his head. "I was wrong."

"You were," Sora said. "But I wasn't talking about that."

Eraqus looked to him. "What then, was I wrong about?"

Sora managed a smile. "The ending wasn't a happy one because it wasn't an ending at all."

A pause.

"What...whatever do you mean?"

"The story isn't over yet," Sora explained. "But when it is, it'll be a happy ending. I _know_ it will. You'll see."

Eraqus could not understand. "How can you know that for sure, Sora?"

The storm abruptly stopped.

" _How can you not?"_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Ideas for this chapter came from:**

 **Guest : Raft flashbacks, Sora finding the mushrooms**

 **Guest : Origin of the Land of Departure and how it got its name**

 **Please leave any ideas you may have for the next chapter in the reviews or send me a PM. I AM IN DIRE NEED OF IDEAAAS! My apologies for my late update, but now that I'm on summer vacation I should be updating more frequently! But no promises :)**

 **P.s. did you catch that ATLA and Howl's Moving Castle reference...in the** _ **same**_ **sentence!? Kudos if you did.**


	16. Patience

**Day 2.5:** **A Piece of Cake**

"I still don't understand how this will help me become a better Keyblade wielder, but…" Sora pulled out his chair and took his seat. There was a giddy, childlike grin on his face as he surveyed the table. At the center of it sat a triple tier, chocolate cake adorned with fresh strawberries and elegant frosting swirls. It sat on a ceramic, decorative plate, which sat on a white, lace doily. At the cake's left was an elegant teapot that steamed lightly. There were teacups that matched scattered on the table. Additionally, there was a pyramid of colorful cupcakes in flavors ranging from red velvet to vanilla to chocolate to lemon-lime. There were muffins and cookies galore and a miniature chocolate fountain beside a basket of strawberries.

For a prolonged minute, Eraqus, who sat directly across from Sora, said nothing. He seemed to be studying the setup. Then, he lifted his gaze to Sora.

Sora, taking this as his cue to dig in, extended a hand towards an especially delicious looking pastry. Before he could even touch it, Eraqus halted him.

"Not yet," Eraqus said, and almost immediately Sora's hand returned to his lap. With big, confused eyes, Sora looked back to his Master and awaited the approval to begin eating.

"The storm lasted longer than I thought it would. For this reason, today's original lesson must be postponed until tomorrow. Still, as you know, I despise wasting any time…"

Sora frowned. He didn't like where this was going.

"Today you will learn patience."

Sora protested almost immediately. He had his gaze focused on that cake. "But I already know how to be patient."

There was a faint smile on Eraqus's face. "Is that so?" he asked, to which Sora nodded. Eraqus hid his amusement. "Then think of this as an opportunity to put it into practice."

Sora begrudgingly looked away from the cake and over to Eraqus. "Okay, Master. What do I do?"

"Before we can even begin, sit up straight and remove your elbows off the table." His tone was slightly annoyed. He closed his eyes as if he couldn't bear to watch Sora devoid of proper manners.

Sora, who hadn't even noticed his poor table manners, witnessed a sudden flashback of his mother telling him the same in an almost identical tone. "Sorry," he mumbled as he straightened and brought his arms down.

Eraqus opened his eyes. Looking satisfied, he continued. "Patience, as you know, is a virtue. You cannot always rely on doing things right away. Sometimes you will need time to think, time to strategize, time to simply wait. Therefore, that is what you will practice right now."

Sora absent mindedly shook his head. "You want me to do nothing?"

"I want you to wait," Eraqus corrected.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Sora insisted, more so to assure himself. "I can wait to eat."

Eraqus reached for a teacup. "Ah, but I haven't disclosed all the details yet, Sora."

Sora grimaced. He really disliked where this was going.

The Master poured the tea. The sweet, sweet aroma filled the air within seconds. "You will wait for me to finish eating before you can begin."

Sora blinked. "Huh?" he asked, demanded even.

Eraqus said nothing more and took a sip. He closed his eyes.

"Master Eraqus-"

" _Patience_ , Sora."

"But I-"

Eraqus sliced the cake and placed a fluffy piece on his plate. "You may give up and join me whenever you wish." He flashed a smirk, knowing that the stubborn boy would never give up so easily.

"I can wait," Sora said swiftly. Confidently. "It'll be a piece of cake!"

The unintended pun caught the Master off guard. He paused before taking a bite out of his cake.

* * *

 **Day 2.8: A Toast**

Sora impatiently tapped his fingers against his empty plate as he watched the Master blissfully eat cupcake after cupcake. At the rate Eraqus ate in, Sora calculated that there would be approximately zero cupcakes left for him by the time Eraqus finished.

With that in mind, Sora watched as the cupcake pyramid dwindled gradually. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. How could Eraqus, such a swift, agile fighter, have so much room in his stomach for this many sweets? How could he eat so much?

 _No fair_ , Sora thought bitterly. _He's hogging it all!_

Sora tried closing his eyes. If he didn't see him eat, perhaps the burning temptation would leave. But as soon as he shut his eyes, his other senses seemed to suddenly enhance. He could suddenly _smell_ the sweet fragrance, _hear_ the soft muching.

His eyes shot open. "Master Eraqus," he said, speaking politely. "How much more do you have to eat?"

Eraqus froze like a deer caught in headlights. He held a silver fork in one hand and a knife in the other. He finished chewing and swallowed before responding. "I am sorry, Sora," he said as he shamefully placed his silverware down on the table. "I always tend to get carried away when I do this." He cleared his throat after briefly reminiscing. "You may eat," he said, gesturing to the remaining desserts.

Sora grinned. He rapidly reached for a golden cupcake. "How was that?" he asked as he stuffed his face. "My patience, I mean."

Eraqus merely smiled. "You endured longer than I could ever hope to achieve," he commented as he poured tea for both himself and for Sora. "And my previous students all gave in within the first ten minutes."

The Master and pupil clinked teacups in a toast.

"So I declare a job well done, Sora," he said.

Sora grinned widely. "I thought you'd never stop eating!" He laughed.

The Master chuckled, somewhat embarrassed. "We all have our weaknesses, Sora…"

Sora placed two sugar cubes in his tea. "Did you and your students have tea parties often?"

Eraqus brightened. "Master Aqua enjoyed baking. Ventus and I enjoyed sampling."

"And Terra?"

Eraqus just shook his head. "He always disliked anything too sweet, but he did enjoy the occasional nut based dessert." After explaining, he reached for a nut muffin.

Sora laughed a bit. "Riku's the same way!"

Eraqus grinned. "They haven't a clue as to what they are missing." Before taking a bite out of the muffin, he paused. His smile disappeared. "Sora?"

"Yeah?"

He looked mildly concerned. "Prepare well for tomorrow."

Sora took notice of the way the Master spoke. He made his best effort to appear serious as he nodded dramatically, but it was difficult to take a boy with a stuffed face and crumbs falling from his mouth seriously. Eraqus just shook his head at the sight.

* * *

 **A/N: You all waited 2+ months for an update, and** _ **THIS**_ **is what I give you!? #noragrets #someragrets #alltheragrets**

 **In all seriousness, I wanted to give these two guys a nice, super light hearted drabble for once. I'll update soon with a real chapter that I've been working on! I hope that it's a great one and well worth the wait! I've just been having trouble with it. I'm so sorry. For now...have** _ **this**_ **? (I wrote it when I was hungry and too lazy to get out of bed to eat!)**

 **The idea came from two places: one, from Guest of Honor (you know who you are) who emailed me with the request of "Eraqus liking sweet stuff" which was inspired greatly by the BBS novels. Secondly, from that one time I wanted more pizza at a school pizza party, and the lady told me "Not yet" only for me to return with an empty plate and for my friends to roast me about it. :) shoutout to that lady! You're the real MVP.**

 **And oh YEAH! The one year anniversary of this fic is coming up on September 8! I want to have something done for that day, but I don't know what what yet. Maybe nothing! Lol I jut felt the urge to point it out.**

 **Thank you all for your _patience. Xoxooo_**


	17. The One He Couldn't Save

**Day 3: The One He Couldn't Save**

Sora looked to the right, and then to the left. Surrounded. Surrounded by absolute darkness. He looked up. Light. Just a faint sliver, but light. He thought back to what Eraqus told him before arriving. _When you're there, keep close to the light, and be wary of the darkness. The darkness will attempt to fool you. You cannot let it._

But there was no way up to the light. How could there be? There was only one way to go, and it wasn't up. Sora took a hesitant, but brave step into the darkness.

When he took a step into it, the floor beneath his yellow shoe lit up revealing a bright, stained glass pathway to hold him. And with every step he took, the pathway followed until he walked into the center of a circular mosaic. He was there before. Once, no, twice? Three times at the most. Three times and he still knew almost nothing about it.

He inspected the image he stood on. Instantly, he recognized various faces. His, and Riku's, and Kairi's. He smiled briefly, fondly, until he heard the faint sound of footsteps growing closer.

"Sora."

Sora looked up to the new face. Into those deep blue, sad eyes.

"Who are you?" asked Sora.

The woman looked out into the darkness. "Do you miss them?" she asked gently.

"Miss...them?" Sora echoed obliviously.

The woman, whose back was turned to him, brought her hands to her chest as if she were holding something close to her heart. Sora attempted to get a better look and saw that it greatly resembled Kairi's good luck charm.

"I miss my friends too," she said, grasping the charm firmly.

Sora, who hadn't a single idea as to who she was or who she spoke of, answered regardless, "You'll see them soon." He tried to sound hopeful because, with everything he had, he meant it.

The woman was quiet for some time. Eventually, once tucking the object into her pocket, she turned back to Sora. "Do you see that?" she asked him, gesturing to the endless darkness ahead of her.

"The darkness?"

The woman smiled gently at his confusion. She silently shook her head and offered no explanation.

Sora, puzzled, looked again. To his surprise, in the far off distance, there was now a slightly visible door. It looked to just be floating about in the darkness.

 _When you find it, you must unlock it_ , Sora recalled Eraqus instructing earlier. _And on the other side..._

"Do you know how I can get there?" Sora asked the woman with a slight sense of urgency. He eyed it longingly. It resembled a smaller version of the Door to Darkness, and that alone made him grow weary at the sight of it. He thought of Riku, telling him to _take care of her_ and winced faintly.

The woman nodded in response to his question. "I can take you there," she affirmed. She offered him a hand, gesturing with her kind, yet serious gaze to take it.

Sora carefully analyzed the woman. She was a stranger, yet she radiated with a certain warmth and a sense of security, almost like that of a mother. He didn't hesitate to take her hand once concluding that she was his ally.

When their hands met, a sudden coldness coursed through Sora's body. It was so cold that it was almost painful. While Sora was tempted to pull away instinctively, he stopped himself from doing so. He needed to get to that door, and he found it easy to trust the blue haired woman.

Once the the two clasped hands, the woman willingly stepped into the dark void leading to the door. Bright stained glass did not appear beneath her when she did. She, like the distant door, seemed to be floating in the darkness.

And Sora, who still held the woman's hand, followed her out into the void. But when he stepped into the darkness, he instantly fell straight through as if there was no ground for him to stand on at all.

The woman, who clung on to his hand with a strong grip, stopped him from falling all the way. He dangled beneath her, desperately holding onto her hand with his own. He, for a moment, made the mistake of looking down and shook with fear at the sight of the endless, dark abyss waiting beneath him.

Initially the woman looked slightly surprised. Then, she slightly cocked her head to the side as she looked down analytically at Sora. Her eyes softened.

"You'll be alright if you don't fall all the way," the woman encouraged genuinely as she stared down at him.

Sora stared back up at her with a confused expression. Before he could ask anything, the woman abruptly opened her hand and let him go. No warning. No explanation. Just like that, she let him go.

And then, all Sora could do was fall.

As he fell, he stared up at the relaxed woman as she became more and more distant. He found himself reaching out for her, wanting to call out to her, but it was only then when he realized that he did not know her name.

As he fell deeper into the darkness, and the woman was no longer in sight, he found his speed reduce until he was no longer falling, but rather gently floating down.

He was observant. While the darkness appeared endless, there was almost an unpredictable pattern to it. Some patches of darkness were brighter than others, in a sense. On the other hand, other patches were devoid of light entirely. Never before had Sora realized that not all darkness was the same.

In the midst of his curious observation, he mistook an oncoming ball of light for a particularly bright patch of darkness. He watched on as it approached him.

The ball of light flew in an erratic path. Sora's eyes followed it as if came closer. When it was close enough, the details of the creature were highlighted by its own bioluminescent glow.

The creature gave off an odd appearance. It was something like a jellyfish crossed with a chandelier. Thin, paperlike tentacles fell from below it like windchimes. Its metallic wings bore millions of tiny lightbulbs - some burning brightly while others were burned out. Its body was more so like a jellyfish with a squishy looking texture. It wore a small black bowtie, like a gentleman. And yet the strangest thing about it was the foreign insignia it bore on its chest. Had that insignia not been there, Sora would have assumed it to be just another heartless.

But if not a heartless, just what was it?

Sora, who didn't feel threatened by the creature in the slightest, took the opportunity to continue observing it.

He was unable to get too invested due to the creature giving off a high pitched, alarming screech.

When the screech died down, a full flock of identical looking creatures came spiraling towards Sora, all in their own, random flying patterns. The way they glowed, they looked like fireworks going off in every direction, all aimed at him. There must have been hundreds of them headed his way.

In a panic, Sora summoned his Keyblade and readied himself for battle. Certainly, he'd been in worse predicaments before, he convinced himself. Defeating dozens of mysterious monsters while falling through a bottomless, dark abyss would be a piece of cake.

Still, he was afraid. He shut his eyes.

Then there blinding flash of white and the sound of one powerful blast.

When it died down, Sora rushed to open his eyes again. He didn't want to miss it, whatever it was. He looked to the left. No monsters. To the right. No monsters. Down below, and up above. Nothing. Again, he found himself falling in solitude.

"Sora!" cried a familiar voice.

He looked back up again and saw the blue haired woman falling gracefully in his direction.

"It's you!" Sora said happily.

"Look out!"

Sora turned his attention to the oncoming group of monsters as the woman shot beams of purple and blue light at them.

"Right!" Sora replied, readying his Keyblade.

The woman, as if on ice skates, glided beside Sora. She lifted her Keyblade and prompted Sora to do the same. "This spell will enchant your Keyblade," she explained. "It will help you defeat the monsters." Her Keyblade glowed faintly. On cue, as did Sora's. The bright light of both weapons reflected in Sora's wide, amazed eyes.

Then, once the glow of the Keyblades dimmed, the woman turned her attention back to the flock of monsters. She raised her arms and Keyblade above her head and twirled in place, like a ballerina. And as she danced light of all colors shot out from her Keyblade. The ribbons of light hit the monsters like targets being hit by arrows.

Sora watched on in awe. The woman fought so gracefully, as if Keyblade combat was an art form. He'd simply never seen someone fight so beautifully. And the colors of the light she created were so vibrant and full of life. Even the brightest flame could not compare.

The woman closed her eyes as she twirled, and there was a soft smile on her face. Just seeing her fight as if it were second nature to her inspired Sora almost immediately.

He eagerly grasped the handle of his Keyblade. No longer afraid, he aimed it at the monsters. The Keyblade's edges glowed. Soon, he too shot the bright ribbons of light. Excitedly, he mimicked the woman's style and moved not as if he were fighting, but as if he were dancing.

The monsters released sonar waves in retaliation, but the light of their combined effort bounced the waves back at them.

Side by side, and eventually back to back, the two danced as they fell. And as they danced, the light wrapped around them and flowed outwards like wisps of smoke.

The monsters disappeared at a steady rate until there were no more.

Sora, who was having the time of his life, grinned widely. He glanced over his shoulder and looked to the woman after lowering his Keyblade.

"We did it!" he exclaimed.

She nodded cheerfully. "That's right, Sora," she agreed. Then, her voice strangely grew distant. "You need to go back now," she explained. "You still need to unlock the door."

The two continued to fall.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

She looked up. "Can you count to three for me?"

Sora had a sort of a bad feeling when she asked it of him, but he felt it difficult to deny her of such a simple request.

"Okay," he said. "But what will happen?"

"You just need to trust me," the woman explained. She raised her Keyblade and waited for Sora to begin counting.

"One," Sora started, hesitantly.

Her Keyblade began to transform. Initially, it was difficult to distinguish its new shape as it was clouded entirely in light.

"Two…" Sora continued, and then it was clear what the Keyblade had become. He eyed it intensely. A vehicle of a sorts? "Three?"

"Take it, Sora!" the woman exclaimed as the glider escaped her grip.

Swiftly, Sora grabbed hold of it before it could fly away. He attempted to reach for the woman's outstretched hand, but he was unable to grab hold of it without letting go of the glider. It happened in a flash - he soared up on the glider, and the woman was left falling further down into the abyss.

Sora looked down at her. She appeared oddly content despite being left alone to fall into the everlasting darkness. Even when she was no longer in sight, Sora still extended a trembling hand in her direction. Had he been just a bit closer, had he reacted quicker, could he have saved her?

The glider soared up through the darkness like a fallen shooting star returning to the sky. Sora held on tightly. He could not stop thinking of the woman. Where was she now? _Who_ was she?

The presence of a large shadow fell over him and the glider. He looked up to see what the shadow belonged to and saw what seemed to be the bottom of the previous stained glass ground. He observed it briefly until realizing that he'd be crashing directly through its center!

He shut his eyes as he and the glider shot through the middle before he could even process what to do. Colorful shards of glass flew in all directions upon the crash. Then Sora and the vehicle tumbled onto the ground. Sora, who struggled to get up on his knees and the palms on his hands, stared down at the broken floor below him.

Above him, the shards of glass froze in the air. Then, in a whirlwind, the shards spun around and lined up like puzzle pieces to reform the mosaic ground.

Sora, once composing himself from the shock, sat up with a glum expression. The Keyblade glider was nowhere in sight, as if it vanished when he crashed. He could not stop thinking of the woman, and of how close he was to grabbing her hand. He sat there on his knees for some time and reflected deeply.

Outside of Sora's field of vision, a tall man wearing flowing, beige pants walked over at a casual speed, as if he had all the time in the world.

When the man eventually reached Sora, he came down on one knee to equal his height. He smiled until noting how disappointed Sora looked.

The man, wanting to comfort the boy, attempted to, but visibly struggled. He simply did not know what to do with his hands. Eventually, he decided upon resting one on his lap, and the other awkwardly on Sora's shoulder.

"I couldn't grab her hand," Sora mused regrettably.

"There's no reason for that," the man said. "You tried your best."

"But I couldn't help her," he continued.

The man was calm, but somewhat uncomfortable. "She'll be okay. Trust me, alright?"

"But how do you know?" Sora insisted.

The man hesitated. Then, he smiled upon thinking of a valid reason. "She's my friend."

For the first time, Sora looked up at the man's face. The man's features were well defined, and his light blue eyes twinkled softly. Still, he looked so unsure of himself.

"Your friend?" Sora asked.

The man nodded. "I believe in her. I always have. All I want you to do is believe in her too. Can you do that for me, Sora?"

For the first time since crash landing, Sora smiled. "Okay!" he agreed. The man almost reminded Sora of Riku.

The man chuckled a bit. "Come on," he said, standing straight. "You have a door to get to, don't you?"

Sora looked up. "You know how to find the door?"

"Not a clue. Let's get going," said the man with a light smirk. He offered Sora a hand to help him up.

When Sora took it, he felt the same cold feeling from when he touched the blue haired woman's hand. It was almost unbearable coming from this man. Still, he disregarded it and stood.

 _The ancient Foretellers developed this meditation practice_ , Sora recalled Eraqus explaining. _It is an ideal method of cleansing the heart. Since the day we met, I sensed a deep pain hidden within you. Before we part ways, I wish for you to address it._

The man, saying nothing more, turned in the direction of a faintly lit path. He took several steps forward before gesturing for Sora to follow.

Sora snapped out of his thoughts and scrambled to the man's side.

They walked in silence for some time until Sora eventually asked the man for his name.

The man acted as if he hadn't heard the question. "Do you miss them?" he asked in return.

Sora looked curiously at him. "Miss them?" he asked, and he remembered how the woman asked him the same thing before.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out an almost identical charm as belonged to the woman.

The man held the star shaped charm firmly and said nothing.

Sora abruptly stopped walking, prompting the man to mirror him.

"Hey," Sora said. "You'll be with them again soon." And again, he meant it with everything he had.

The man looked down at him after tucking the object away. He looked so unsure of it, but he eventually nodded.

Then, before Sora could continue to reassure him, monsters surrounded them.

These monsters were as peculiar as the last bunch. The monsters looked something like a peacock crossed with a dandelion. They had long tails adorned with shiny blue and green feathers and a green, dandelion-like collar around their necks. Resting on top of their heads was a single miniature top hat. Their backs bore that same, unknown insignia as the monsters from earlier.

The man sprang into action. He summoned what looked to be an extremely heavy Keyblade and attacked.

He was strong. There was simply no other way to describe him. With just one, mighty strike, the monsters would disappear. He fought with such control, discipline, and power, like a warrior. Sora gazed on until summoning his own weapon and attempting to adopt a similar, powerful fighting style.

The birdlike monsters were just as strong and fought back valiantly. Then, in unison, their lovely, soft feathers abruptly stood and become as sharp as needles. Then, the monsters sent the needles flying in Sora's direction.

Acting quickly, the man slammed his Keyblade onto the needles and crushed them in the process. He and Sora then continued swinging at the monsters until they disappeared. And when they did, they became white dandelion fluffs that floated away into the darkness.

But still, there were too many monsters. The man took note of it, and he took note of how tired Sora ultimately became after swinging endlessly to the left and to the right and to the left again.

The man took to drastic measures. Standing still, he briefly closed his eyes and summoned a deep, dark power in his heart. With a single slash, he wiped them all out at once. Dandelion fluffs flew like confetti.

Once they cleared away, Sora and the man were left in the center of the mosaic ground. Huffing and puffing until their breathing steadied.

"They're gone!" Sora said victoriously.

The man nodded, but he looked incredibly fatigued.

"Hey," Sora said with a deep concern in his voice. "What's wrong? We got them all."

"I'm fine," the man said as he held a hand to his head. "You need to get to the door, Sora…" He fell on one knee.

Sora rapidly attempted to help him. "I'm not leaving you too," he said, and it was clear that his mind was made up.

The man stood weakly relying on his Keyblade to support him to stand. "Go, Sora," he said, pointing forward. A pause. "I believe in you."

Sora looked away from the man to see where he was pointing. He saw the vastness of darkness, and a narrow pathway. "I won't go without…" Sora trailed away upon looking back to the man.

In his place was now a figure dressed in full body armor. The figure rested on its knees and leaned against a Keyblade that was now jabbed into the ground.

"Hey," Sora called out in a quiet voice.

No response.

Sora raised his voice in great alarm. "Hey!" and he lightly shook the armor, only for the helmet to fall off and reveal emptiness.

Sora froze in place. He mildly shook, and then looked forward. He had to keep going. Otherwise the man and the woman's sacrifices would have been for nothing. He had to find the door.

 _You must find it, Sora. The door that locks away a deep, unknown pain in the depths of your heart. Find the door, and unlock it. There you will find the source of the pain, and hopefully eradicate it._

 _What if I can't?_

 _Then I am afraid the pain will eventually resurface on its own, and you will become vulnerable to it._

He walked on aimlessly, shrouded in self doubt. What if he just couldn't find the door on his own? What if he was lost in the darkness forever?

The faces of his friends on the floor below him kept him going. His power. His friends were his power.

He kept one foot in front of the other. Lost, but adequately optimistic.

 _All I have to do is sit here?_

 _I will take care of the rest. For now, Sora, all I need you to do is keep an open heart and an open mind._

He walked on until feeling a tap on his shoulder. He instantly stopped and turned around.

Before him stood a rather happy looking boy with dirty blond hair and curious cerulean eyes. The boy waved, somewhat eagerly.

Sora, surprised but pleased, waved in return.

The boy spoke first. "How about a race?" he asked out of the blue.

This caught Sora by surprise. "A what?"

"I'll give you a head start... _if_ you want it," the boy continued.

"No-" Sora tried in an attempt to explain that he didn't want to race.

The boy blinked. "You _don't_ want a head start?"

Sora grew defensive. "No, I _do_ , but-"

"What are you waiting for then?"

"I didn't mean-"

"I'll give you...five seconds!" The boy crossed his arms and shut his eyes. "One," he started.

Sora stared momentarily at him, and then ahead. Where exactly were they racing to, again?

"Two."

"Where's the finish line?" Sora asked, wasting second number three and four.

"Five!" the boy exclaimed before dashing off.

Sora, in a state of bewilderment, pursued the boy regardless of the fact that he ran opposite of the direction he originally traveled.

The boy was swift. In no time at all, there was a great distance between the two. The boy ahead ran at a constant, rapid velocity whilst Sora gradually slowed.

"Wait up!" Sora called out, upon realizing that he couldn't keep up. Not with someone who could run as fast as the wind.

The boy was laughing lightly, turning his attention over to Sora every now and then. "I _gave_ you a head start!" he exclaimed. "You should have used it!"

The light teasing encouraged Sora to speed up. "Where are we racing to?" he asked. The gap of space between the two slowly lessened as Sora began to catch up.

This surprised the cocky boy. He attempted to speed up. "The _door_!" he called back.

As they ran, purple blob like monsters lined their path. They wore the insignia on their large, bloated bellies. The creatures were incredibly lethargic in comparison to the speed the boys ran in. There was really no given structure to the spineless monsters - all they were were shapeless blobs wearing monocles. They didn't attempt to fight back either. They just sat there humming threateningly.

The blond summoned a Keyblade and whacked the creatures out of existence as he ran. The monsters' sudden presence didn't startle him or slow him down. If anything, he seemed almost accustomed to them.

Sora summoned his Keyblade too. He fought the monsters that the boy left behind, which weren't many.

They ran on fighting the monsters until their numbers dwindled to zero. The battle was humorously anticlimactic, but what else was there to expect from blobs?

Almost simultaneously, the Keyblades vanished.

Sora, eventually jogging lightly by the boy's side, turned to look at him strangely. "Who are you?" he asked.

The boy, too excited to see Sora catch up, almost tripped in what seemed to be nothing at all - perhaps his shoes? He abruptly stopped running to catch his breath. He held up a hand as if to gesture his surrender.

Sora stopped beside him and awaited a response. He used the time to catch his breath.

"I used to race with them all the time," the boy said, conveniently neglecting to answer Sora's previous question. "I was too fast for them, so sometimes I gave them a five second head start." He was smiling sadly, and Sora sensed somewhat of a change in the boy's overall atmosphere. The boy reached into his pocket and revealed a third, green charm that matched the previous two. The boy's voice was mature if only for the moment in which he admitted, " _I miss them_."

Sora frowned. For a third time that day he said, "You'll find them soon," and still, he meant it with everything he had.

The boy, with great care, showcased the item to Sora. "I know I will," he said surprisingly. "See this? She told us that she put magic in them." He placed it in Sora's hand. When he did, his hand brushed against Sora's, and Sora felt the same, incredible coldness. He ignored it and instead looked at the shiny star shaped charm. It was beautiful. He looked up at the boy's smiling face. He looked so proud of it.

Sora returned the precious object, and the boy tucked it away. He rested his hands behind the back of his head and remarked, "We still have to get you to the door."

"That's right," Sora agreed. He scratched his cheek and looked around his immediate area. "But where…?"

The boy brought his hands to the side. "I'm not really sure." He offered no further assistance.

Sora crossed his arms in thought, and the boy simply stood there and waited for Sora to suggest something.

"What if we-" Sora began, only to be cut off by the boy's sudden yell of pain.

The boy brought a hand to his chest.

Sora became alert. "What's wrong?" he asked, wanting to help but not knowing how to.

The boy shut his eyes tightly to fight back. "I'll be alright," he said. "You need to get to the door, Sora…"

"Not you too!" Sora protested with a hint of despair in his voice.

The boy slumped down to the ground. He lazily looked up to Sora. "The door, Sora…"

Sora firmly shook his head. "I won't leave you!"

The boy kept his eyes closed. He spoke quietly. "I just...need to rest. You...go…" He trailed away as his head lowered.

Sora kept speaking to him, desperately rambling.

"I can't leave you. I'll stay here and wait with you. Then we can find the door, and your friends too! You'll see."

Sora stopped himself. He looked closer. The boy appeared to be...asleep?

Sora could only shake his head. What did it all mean? There was a clear pattern to it all. He would meet someone. Someone possessing a star shaped charm, someone he trusted, someone who felt so _cold_ , yet radiated such _warmth_ , only to lose that person without ever having learned their name. But what did it all mean? Eraqus made no mention of meeting other people. Who _were_ they?

 _Do not forget, Sora: your first priority is the door and the source of the hidden pain on the other side._

Sora gazed distantly at the sleeping boy. He couldn't just _leave_ him. He couldn't lose all three of them. He just couldn't. He refused it.

Sora slung the sleeping boy's arm over his shoulder and stood him up with slight struggle. Then, as best as he could, he, supporting the blond, walked forward slowly.

He told himself to think positive, but he hadn't a clue as to where he was going, and he lost track of time long ago. He looked over to the boy's face. The boy slept soundly.

 _If you find yourself unable to continue for whatever reason, release a beam of light into the sky. I will see it and return you here immediately._

Sora considered giving up only to scold himself for even thinking about it. He continued on, more determined than ever.

But the darkness was too close, and the light of the stained glass flickered on and off. The world shook. Sora fought valiently to keep himself and the boy balanced until the ground became still. Then, he continued on.

Was he walking in circles? Everything looked the same, and the door was nowhere in sight. Was he even close to it? Would he ever unlock it? How could he, if he never found it?

His hope was nearly extinguished when a soft, green glow suddenly came from the sleeping boy's pocket. Sora halted immediately after a sound of confusion escaped his mouth.

The star shaped charm flew up and away.

Sora instinctively pursued it quickly as he could with the boy still leaning on him.

He was incredibly excited and eager to follow it, even at his slow pace. He grew unaware of where he was going, as his eyes were focused only on the green glow.

Then, his heart sunk.

The item froze in midair, trembled violently, and shattered into stardust.

Sora watched with dread as the stardust fell to the ground like ashes. He stopped and stared ahead.

Ahead, there was nothingness. The same nothingness he'd been traveling in hopes of finding the door.

He kept looking forward. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but something was coming. He just knew it.

He looked on until something came. Just as he hoped it would. Just as he knew.

First came the blue star shaped charm. Following close behind it was the brown one. The two, enchanted items spun around each other and then abruptly stopped. Sora wanted to look away, but found that he couldn't. In an instant, they became stardust that sprinkled over the green on the ground.

Sora's last shred of optimism nearly vanished with it. But he hung onto it, and he just kept looking forward into the vast nothingness.

Two shadows appeared in the distance. They grew larger as they came closer. Sora squinted. They weren't shadows at all - they were people! And they were running over.

Sora found himself waving them over.

He looked closer. Could they really be…?

The woman and the man from before! They were alright!

The two ran over the sparkling piles of stardust and sent it flying everywhere in the process.

A trace of stardust landed on the sleeping boy's closed eyelids. When it did, he opened his eyes instantly. He jumped away from Sora and dashed towards the incoming man and woman without a second thought.

When the three met, they all silently watched each other. Then, needing no words, they all hugged. The boy looked about ready to cry.

Sora, touched, smiled and watched close by as he rested his hands behind his head.

"You two had me worried," the woman said sadly to her two friends.

"You worry too much," the boy interjected with a small laugh to lighten the mood.

The man was frowning. "But I was worried too," he admitted louder than he thought he would.

The boy stopped laughing. "You _were_?"

The man grinned. He ruffled the boy's soft spikes down. "Not me," he insisted.

The woman crossed her arms, but she was smiling. "It's okay to worry about your friends sometimes," she commented.

"You're right," the boy agreed. He sighed a bit and kicked the air in front of him lightly. "I was worried too…"

"What a little kid," the man noted with a smirk.

The boy was defensive. "You said you were too!"

"I did?" the man looked around cluelessly. "When?"

"Just _now_!"

The woman laughed into her hand as the two bickered.

"He's hearing things, and you think this is funny?"

"I'm not hearing things!"

"You two never stop, do you?"

Sora, who listened in the entire time, smiled as he walked over. "You're all together again," he said with a delighted nod. "I knew you would find each other."

The man was the first to speak to him. "It was all because of you, Sora," he said vaguely, but gratefully.

The woman nodded. "That's right," she agreed, smiling.

The boy struggled to speak. "T-thanks, Sora."

Sora looked at the three of them curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked to anyone who would answer. "How did I...help you?"

"Now it's our turn to help you," the woman said softly. She turned to her friends and gave them a nod. They nodded knowingly in return.

The trio summoned their Keyblades. The various Keyblades glowed - blue, green, and brown.

There was an extremely powerful surge of light. Sora had to shield his eyes with his forearm.

When the light vanished, the three were no longer in sight. In their place stood a door. _The_ door.

Sora looked around for them. Where were they?

He summoned his own Keyblade and aimed it at the door.

 _Whoever they were, wherever they are..._ Sora smiled as a beam of light from his own Keyblade unlocked the door.

 _...Thank you._

The other side of the door looked similar, if not identical to the rest of the dark, stained glass world. But the world was smaller, somehow. Darker, even.

Sora took a step forward and saw someone in the shadows.

"What's your name?" Sora asked. He rested his hands behind his head and smiled.

But the character currently standing before him struck him as odd. The mysterious figure faced away from him and inwards into the eternal darkness almost as if he were watching it. There was a certain silence about him that was unsettling.

Regardless of his first impression, the ever cheerful Sora offered a brief introduction. "I'm Sora."

At the mention of his name, the figure winced slightly, as if barely acknowledging Sora's presence. "So you're the vessel the dormant loser picked." And, while Sora was unaware, the boy smirked beneath the mask shielding his face.

The statement took Sora by surprise. He had to take a step back from the shock. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, and in an instant, his friendliness vanished, and a quick defensiveness took its place.

The boy, whose back was still turned towards Sora, mused aloud, "I mean, what did I expect? He was never a good judge of character. Maybe if he were, he wouldn't pick someone as incompetent as you." His voice was monotone.

Sora balled his hands into fists. "Just, who are you?" he exploded, upset to be insulted by someone he barely said a few words to.

The boy crossed his arms. "What does it matter, who I am?" Then, he scoffed under his breath and said nothing more.

And as the two stood there in tense silence, Sora's anger ultimately became confusion. He pondered momentarily before cautiously coming closer to the potentially dangerous boy.

His voice was solemn, and he spoke directly. "Are you supposed to be the person I'm looking for?"

The boy rapidly turned his head to him. "What?" he asked rudely.

Sora, who refused to lower his guard, asked again. Specified. "You're the one, aren't you? The hidden pain in my heart."

The boy stepped away from Sora, but made no attempt to deny it.

Sora managed a little smile. It was just a slight curve, but plainly visible. "I came all this way to help you."

The masked boy was immediately amused. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass." And he made a clear attempt to draw more distance between them.

This puzzled Sora. "What do you mean?"

The figure just looked back into the darkness.

Sora frowned. "You don't want my help?"

"I don't _need_ your help," he clarified.

"But, why not? You're hurt, aren't you? My Master sent me here to-"

"Why don't you run back to your precious _Master_ , and tell him it was all just a waste of time then?" the boy asked, raising his voice, if ever so slightly. There was a new sense of rage in his voice, almost as if he were talking about somebody else. Somebody that had betrayed him. Somebody _he_ once called Master.

Sora wouldn't give up. How could he? "I came so far just to find you!"

"Aren't you the persistent one," the boy mumbled sarcastically.

Sora was growing frustrated. "I fought so many monsters to find you," he explained further.

The boy stiffened. "You mean my Unversed."

"...Huh?"

"My Unversed." He extended a hand and uncurled his fingers to reveal a growing darkness in his palm.

Sora, who hadn't expected such a thing, watched as the darkness transformed into the previous, jellyfish-like monster from before. His eyes widened with fear.

The bioluminescent Unversed flew in place. The masked boy watched it blankly. "Creatures that I create from my negative emotions," he explained, wondering why he chose to bother to explain it at all.

Sora was still. "I've been fighting your, your Unversed? Your...negative emotions?"

The masked boy rolled his eyes and took his gaze away from the Unversed. "That's what I said."

The brown haired boy paused. "I'm sorry," he eventually said. "I didn't know. And I'm sure that...the other three didn't either."

The dark figure raised an eyebrow. "You mean _those_ three losers? _They're_ here too?" He just shook his head and lost himself in thought. _They can't_ really _be here._

Sora shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I really am sorry," he continued. "I wouldn't want someone destroying my feelings. Feelings, whether they be good or bad, are special. They come from the heart. I shouldn't have destroyed yours."

The masked boy laughed darkly. "I don't mind." Moving swiftly, he snatched the winged Unversed from the air and strangled it before Sora's horrified face until it disappeared in a puff of darkness.

But the boy, being fragmented, was particularly weak, and the pain brought onto him from the destruction of his own Unversed was almost too much to bear. He winced in pain and held both hands to his lower torso. He stumbled back a bit, groaning lightly.

Upon seeing the vulnerable boy in his new, weakened state, the ever kind Sora was quick to offer him his hand to help.

"Get away," the boy growled, and with the half hearted wave of his trembling hand, a swarm of Unversed came between them, causing Sora to jump back.

At the sight of the monsters, Kingdom Key instinctively came to Sora's outstretched hand. He readied his battle stance without a second thought. Although, after a moment of reflection, he froze. Destroying the Unversed, he realized, _hurt_ this boy.

Sora lowered his Keyblade in surrender.

The masked boy straightened. "You're too soft," he commented. "That'll be your downfall."

The Unversed inched closer to Sora as he backed away.

"You just want to help everyone," the boy continued, "but you _can't_ , Sora."

Sora reached dangerously close to the edge of the stained glass.

The boy momentarily lost his composure. "You can't help someone like me. Nobody can!"

So close to falling. Sora wobbled slightly as he balanced himself on the edge. He wondered, if he fell now, would he ever see the light again?

The boy's voice was dangerously quiet. "What a hero you turned out to be."

No! Sora blocked his face with his Keyblade as an oncoming Unversed jumped at him. He refused to have come this far just to fail. "Why can't you just admit that you're hurting?" Sora yelled. "Why can't you just see that I want to help you?" He fell to his knees as Unversed piled on top of him.

The masked boy, slightly surprised by his outburst, remained unimpressed. "Why does it matter so much to you, what happens to me?"

In a bright flash of magic, Sora cast reflect, and in an instant the Unversed bounced off him to the other side of the stained glass. Sora stood victoriously.

He approached the masked boy with a stern, yet saddened expression. Maybe the masked boy had a point. There were just so many people hurting. Eraqus, those three, this boy, and probably so many others his heart was unaware of at that moment. How could he possibly help them all?

In an attempt to answer such a question, Sora's eyes flickered to his Keyblade. The Keyblade always seemed to be the answer. But just as quickly, he averted his gaze from it. The Keyblade never really chose him, not like it chose Riku.

But what did it matter? He faced the masked boy and gripped the Keyblade's handle loosely.

"You know, I only just realized," he said slowly, and the masked boy looked to him silently awaiting a proper explanation.

"I want to help people because…" Sora managed a smile. He shook his head. "I need to."

"Need to?"

Sora nodded. "If I don't…" He held a hand to his own, beating heart and briefly listened to its melodic song. "Then I'll be the one who's hurting."

"That's just stupid." The masked character turned away. He snapped his fingers, and the Unversed vanished. A final, silver door appeared.

"There," he said. "Now leave."

Sora studied the door. "That's the exit?"

"I'm sick of listening to your cheesy speeches."

"But you're still hurt." Sora couldn't wrap his head around it. Why was he accepting pain?

"I'll survive." The boy was bitter.

Sora wouldn't give up. "But you didn't even tell me your name."

"Does it really matter that much to you?"

Sora nodded. Of _course_ it mattered.

A pause.

"Too bad. Get lost." The boy's voice almost broke as if he were struggling just to keep composed.

"But, _Vanitas_ -"

A gasp, on Sora's part.

The masked boy appeared unfazed, despite Sora's sudden use of his name. "You're still here," he noted.

"I won't leave until I can find a way to help you!" Sora vowed.

The boy's hands curled into fists at his side. "Fine!" Vanitas exclaimed as a Keyblade appeared in his hand. He swung wildly at Sora. "You want to help me? Leave me _alone!_ "

Sora dodged the blows by leaping back. "I won't fight you, Vanitas," he explained. He frowned. "I know that it hurts now. It always does at first. But it goes away!"

Vanitas tossed his weapon at Sora. It scraped across his arm before returning to the enraged boy. "You don't know that," he hissed.

Sora yelled out in pain and brought a hand to his arm. "I do," he said, coming closer. "You think… You think I've never been hurt before?" Sora kept calm, but struggled greatly. "It happens to everyone, Vanitas. What matters is what you do with it."

" _This_ is what I do with it," Vanitas said harshly, and hundreds upon hundreds of Unversed appeared behind him.

Sora backed away, clear fear in his eyes. Even if he could defeat so many Unversed, he still _couldn't._ He looked back. Nowhere left to run. He looked up. All he needed to do to flee was send a beam of light into the sky. He considered it.

Vanitas laughed quietly. "What an… what an idiot," he mumbled to himself. He attacked his own Unversed before they could get to Sora.

Sora watched in horror as the boy struck his Keyblade at the monsters.

"Vanitas!" Sora cried, rushing forward. "Stop!" He tried pulling the Keyblade away from the masked boy. In doing so, he felt his hand and almost froze.

Vanitas shoved Sora aside and swiftly raised his Keyblade to the sky. A beam of light trailed out and filled the darkness.

Sora's eyes widened. He wanted to shake his head, to stop him, but he was still frozen in shock. He looked from the palm of his hand, and then to Vanitas who paid him no more attention and instead continued to battle the Unversed.

Then, nothing but light… _light…_ Sora had never seen more light.

The world was now bright. The Land of Departure, surely. Yes, of course. The Land of Departure. And Eraqus was there, as always, waiting patiently.

"Sora!" he exclaimed once realizing the boy had returned. He rushed over to his pupil. "Were you able to find the door?"

"I did," Sora said distantly. "I found _him_." Then, he stood and gazed at the setting sun. He closed his hand tightly as if to preserve the previous warmth from Vanitas's hand. "But I," he paused to release the warmth. "I couldn't save him."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 _ **You can't save them all.**_

 **Idea for this chapter came from the lovely Painted With a Palette. She is seriously amazing, because she sent me an incredibly long, well thought out idea about Eraqus teaching Sora some sort of meditation training excercise to have him go to the Station of Awakening and visit those hurting/those connected to him. I didn't use the original idea in its entirety, but the chapter was hugely based off it. So thank you again for it. Also, to clear everything up, Vanitas as shown here is fragmented. This explains why, even though Ven's heart isn't present, Vanitas is. It is only a fragmented part of him. That's also why Vanitas is especially sensitive to the pain when his Unversed get destroyed. (I know this idea wasn't touched on in the games, but it is present in the BBS novels.)** **I told you all I'd update soon! I bet no one expected it to be so soon! P.S. One day closer to this fic's one year anniversary! Maybe we can get 100 reviews by then? :D Xoxooxoxooo Thank you for reading, as always!**


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